LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



0DDQ4547bl5 




Class. 
Book. 









THE 



GULISTAN 



OR ROSE GARDEN 



MUSLE-HUDDEEN SHEIK SAADI, 

OF SHIRAZ. 

TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL BY 

FRANCIS GLADWIN. 

WITH AN ESSAY ON SAADl's LIFE AND GENIUS, 

By JAMES ROSS, 

AND A PREFACE, 

By R. W. EMERSON 




BOSTON: 

TICKNOR AND FIELDS 

1865. 






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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1864, by 

TICKNOR AND FIELDS, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 



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University Press: 

Welch, Bigelow, and Company, 

Cambridge. 




PREFACE 



TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. 




WHILST the Journal of the Oriental 
Society attests the presence of good 
Semitic and Sanskrit scholars in our 
colleges, no translation of an East- 
ern poet has yet appeared in America. Of the 
two hundred Persian bards of whose genius Von 
"lammer Purgstall has given specimens to Ger- 
many, we have had only some fragments col- 
lected in journals and anthologies. There are 
signs that this neglect is about to be retrieved. 
In the interval, whilst we wait for translations 
of our own, the publishers have wished to give 
this old book, which now for six hundred years 
has had currency in other countries, a popular 
form for the American public. Of three re- 
spectable English translations, that of Gladwin 
has been preferred, for its more simple and forci- 
ble style ; and the Essay of Mr. James Ross, 
*on the Life and Genius of Saadi, has been pre- 
fixed. Mr. Gladwin has not thought fit to turn 



iv PREFACE. 

into rhyme the passages of verse with which the 
Gulistan is interspersed. It is the less impor- 
tant, that these verses are seldom more than a 
metrical repetition of the sentiment of the para- 
graph. 

The slowness to import these books into our 
libraries — mainly owing, no doubt, to the for- 
bidding difficulty of the original languages — 
is due also in part to some repulsion in the 
genius of races. At first sight, the Oriental 
rhetoric does not please our Western taste. Life 
in the East wants the complexity of European 
and American existence ; and in their writing 
a certain monotony betrays the poverty of the 
landscape, and of social conditions. We fancy 
we are soon familiar with all their images. 
Medschun and Leila, rose and nightingale, par- 
rots and tulips ; mosques and dervishes ; desert, 
caravan, and robbers ; peeps at the harem ; bags 
of gold dinars ; slaves, horses, camels, sabres, 
shawls, pearls, amber, cohol, and henna ; insane 
compliments to the Sultan, borrowed from the 
language of prayer ; Hebrew and Gueber le- 
gends molten into Arabesque; — 'tis a short 
inventory of topics and tropes, which incessant- 
ly return in Persian poetry. I do not know but, 
at the first encounter, many readers take also 
an impression of tawdry rhetoric, an exaggera- 
tion, and a taste for scarlet, running to the bor- 



PREFACE. v 

ders of the negrofine, — or, if not, yet a push- 
ing of the luxury of ear and eye where it does 
not belong, as the Chinese in their mathematics 
employ the colors blue and red for algebraic 
signs, instead of our pitiless x and y. These 
blemishes disappear or diminish on better ac- 
quaintance. Where there is real merit, we are 
soon reconciled to differences of taste. The 
charge of monotony lies more against the nu- 
merous Western imitations than against the Per- 
sians themselves, and though the torrid,. like the 
arctic zone, puts some limit to variety, it is least 
felt in the masters. It is the privilege of genius 
to play its game indifferently with few as with 
many pieces, as Nature draws all her opulence 
out of a few elements. Saadi exhibits perpetual 
variety of situation and incident, and an equal 
depth of experience with Cardinal de Retz in 
Paris, or Doctor Johnson in London. He finds 
room on his narrow canvas for the extremes of 
lot, the play of motives, the rule of destiny, the 
lessons of morals, and the portraits of great 
men. He has furnished the originals of a mul- 
titude of tales and proverbs which are current 
in our mouths, and attributed by us to recent 
writers ; as, for example, the story of " Abra- 
ham and the Fire-worshipper," once claimed for 
Doctor Franklin, and afterwards traced to Jere- 
my Taylor, who probably found it in Olearius. 



vi PREFACE. 

The superlative, so distasteful in the temper- 
ate region, has vivacity in the Eastern speech. 
" A tax-gatherer," says Saadi, " fell into a place 
so dangerous, that, from fear, a male lion would 
become a female." In his compliments to the 
Shah, he says : " The incurvated back of the 
sky became straight with joy at thy birth." Of 
dunces he says, with a double superlative : 
" If the ass of Christ should go to Mecca, it 
would come back an ass still." It is a saying 
from I know not what poet : " If the elegant 
verses of Dhoair Fariabi fall into thy hands, 
fail not to steal them, though it were in the 
sacred temple of Mecca itself." But the wild- 
ness of license appears in poetical praises of the 
Sultan : " When his bow moves, it is already 
the last day (for his enemies) : whom his onset 
singles out, to him is life not appointed ; and 
the ghost of the Holy Ghost were not sure of 
its time." 

But when once the works of these poets are 
made accessible, they must draw the curiosity 
of good readers. It is provincial to ignore them. 
If, as Mackintosh said, " whatever is popular 
deserves attention," much more does that which 
has fame. The poet stands in strict relation 
to his people : he has the over-dose of their na- 
tionality. We did not know them, until they 
declared their taste by their enthusiastic welcome 



PREFACE. vii 

of his genius. Foreign criticism might easily 
neglect him, unless their applauses showed the 
high historic importance of his powers. In 
these songs and elegies breaks into light the 
national mind of the Persians and Arabians. 
The monotonies which we accuse, accuse our 
own. We pass into a new landscape, new cos- 
tume, new religion, new manners and customs, 
under which humanity nestles very comfortably 
at Shiraz and Mecca, with good appetite, and 
with moral and intellectual results that corre- 
spond, point for point, with ours at New York 
and London. It needs in every sense a free 
translation, just as, from geographical position, 
the Persians attribute to the east wind what 
we say of the west. 

Saadi, though he has not the lyric flights of 
Hafiz, has wit, practical sense, and just moral 
sentiments. He has the instinct to teach, and 
from every occurrence must draw the moral, 
like Franklin. He is the poet of friendship, 
love, self-devotion, and serenity. There is a 
uniform force in his page, and, conspicuously, 
a tone of cheerfulness, which has almost made 
his name a synonyme for this grace. The word 
Saadi means fortunate. In him the trait is no 
result of levity, much less of convivial habit, 
but first of a happy nature, to which victory 
is habitual, easily shedding mishaps, with sensi- 



viii PREFACE. 

T)ility'to pleasure, and with resources against 
pain. But it also results from the habitual per- 
ception of the beneficent laws that control the 
world. He inspires in the reader a good hope. 
What a contrast between the cynical tone of 
Byron and the benevolent wisdom of Saadi ! 

Saadi has been longer and better known in 
the Western nations than any of his countrymen, 
By turns, a student, a water-carrier, a traveller, 
a soldier fighting against the Christians in the 
Crusades, a prisoner employed to dig trenches 
before Tripoli, and an honored poet in his pro- 
tracted old age at home, — his varied and se- 
vere experience took away all provincial tone, 
and gave him a facility of speaking to all condi- 
tions. But the commanding reason of his wider 
popularity is his deeper sense, which, in his 
treatment, expands the local forms and tints to 
a cosmopolitan breadth. Through his Persian 
dialect he speaks to all nations, and, like Homer, 
Shakespeare, Cervantes, and Montaigne, is per- 
petually modern. 

To the sprightly but indolent Persians, con- 
versation is a game of skill. They wish to 
measure wit with you, and expect an adroit, a 
brilliant, or a profound answer. Many narra- 
tives, doubtless, have suffered in the translation, 
since a promising anecdote sometimes heralds a 
flat speech. But Saadi's replies are seldom vul- 



PREFACE. ix 

gar. His wit answers to the heart of the ques- 
tion, often quite over the scope of the inquirer. 
He has also that splendor of expression which 
alone, without wealth of thought, sometimes 
constitutes a poet, and forces us to ponder the 
problem of style. In his poem on his old age, 
he says : " Saadi's whole power lies in his sweet 
words : let this gift remain to me, I care not 
what is taken." 

The poet or thinker must always be, in a 
rude nation, the chief authority on religion. 
All questions touching its truth and obligation 
will come home to him, at last, for their answer. 
As he thinks and speaks will intelligent men 
believe. Therefore a certain deference must 
be shown him by the priests, — a result which 
conspicuously appears in the history of Hafiz 
and Saadi. In common with his countrymen, 
Saadi gives prominence to fatalism, — a doctrine 
which, in Persia, in Arabia, and in India, has 
had, in all ages, a dreadful charm. " To all 
men," says the Koran, " is their day of death 
appointed, and they cannot postpone or advance 
it one hour. Wilt thou govern the world which 
God governs ? Thy lot is cast beforehand, 
and whithersoever it leads, thou must follow." 
" Not one is among you," said Mahomet, u to 
whom is not already appointed his seat in fire 
or his seat in bliss." 



x PREFACE. 

But the Sheik's mantle sits loosely on Saadi's 
shoulders, and I find in him a pure theism. He 
asserts the universality of moral laws, and the 
perpetual retributions. He celebrates the om- 
nipotence of a virtuous soul. A certain inti- 
mate and avowed piety, obviously in sympathy 
with the feeling of his nation, is habitual to 
him. All the forms of courtesy and of busi- 
ness in daily life take a religious tinge, as did 
those of Europe in the Middle Age. 

With the exception of a few passages, of 
which we need not stop to give account, the 
morality of the Gulistan and the Bostan is pure, 
and so little clogged with the superstition of the 
country, that this does not interfere with the 
pleasure of the modern reader : he can easily 
translate their ethics into his own. Saadi praises 
alms, hospitality, justice, courage, bounty, and 
humility ; he respects the poor, and the kings 
who befriend the poor. He admires the royal 
eminence of the dervish or religious ascetic. 
cc Hunger is a cloud out of which falls a rain 
of eloquence and knowledge: when the belly 
is empty, the body becomes spirit ; when it is 
full, the spirit becomes body." He praises hu- 
mility. " Make thyself dust to do anything 
well." "Near Casbin," he tells us, u a man, 
of the country of Parthia, came forth to accost 
me, mounted on a tiger. At this sight, such 



PREFACE. xi 

fear seized me that I could not flee nor move. 
But he said : c O Saadi, be not surprised at what 
thou seest. Do thou only not withdraw thy 
neck from the yoke of God, and nothing shall 
be able to withdraw its neck from thy yoke.' " 

In a country where there are no libraries and 
no printing, people must carry wisdom in sen- 
tences. Wonderful is the inconsecutiveness of 
the Persian poets. European criticism finds that 
the unity of a beautiful whole is everywhere 
wanting. Not only the story is short, but no 
two sentences are joined. In looking through 
Von Hammer's anthology, culled from a para- 
dise of poets, the reader feels this painful dis- 
continuity. 'T is sand without lime, — as if the 
neighboring desert had saharized the mind. It 
was said of Thomson's Seasons, that the page 
would read as well by omitting every alternate 
line. But the style of Thomson is glue and 
bitumen to the loose and irrecoverable ramble 
of the Oriental bards. No topic is too remote 
for their rapid suggestion. The Ghaselle or 
Kassida is a chapter of proverbs, or proverbs 
unchaptered, unthreaded beads of all colors, 
sizes, and values. Yet two topics are sure to 
return in any and every proximity, the mistress 
and the name of the poet. Out of every am- 
bush* these leap on the unwary reader. Saadi, 
in the Gulistan, by the necessity of the narra- 



xii PREFACE. 

tive, corrects this arid looseness, which appears, 
however, in his odes and elegies, as in Hafiz 
and Dschami. As for the incessant return of 
the poet's name, — which appears to be a sort 
of registry of copyrights, — the Persians often 
relieve this heavy custom by wit and audacious 
sallies. 

The Persians construct with great intrepidity 
their mythology and legends of typical men. 
Jarnschid, who reigned seven hundred years, 
and was then driven from his throne, is their 
favorite example of the turns of fortune. Karun 
or Corah, the alchemist, who turned all things 
to gold, but perished with his treasures at the 
word of Moses, is their Croesus. Lokman, the 
iEsop of the East, lived to an enormous age, 
was the great-grandson of Noah, &c. Saadi 
relates, that Lokman, in his last years, dwelt 
on the border of a reedy marsh, where he 
constructed a cabin, and busied himself with 
making osier baskets. The Angel of Death 
appeared to him, and said : u Lokman, how is 
it, that, in three thousand years that you have 
lived in the world, you have never known how 
to build a house ? " Lokman replied : " O Azra- 
el ! one would be a fool, knowing that you were 
always at his heels, to set himself at building a 
house." Hatem Tai is their type of hospitality, 
who, when the Greek emperor sent to pray him to 



PREFACE. xiii 

bestow on him his incomparable horse, received 
the messenger with honor, and, having no meat 
in his tent, killed the horse for his banquet, 
before he yet knew the object of the visit. 
Nushirvan the Just is their Marcus Antoninus, 
or Washington, to whom every good counsel 
in government is attributed. And the good 
behavior of rulers is a point to which Saadi 
constantly returns. It is one of his maxims, 
that the " bons mots of kings are the kings of bons 
mots." One of these is : " At night thou must 
go in prayer a beggar, if by day thou wilt carry 
thyself as a king." Again: "A king is like a 
great and massive wall : as soon as he leans 
from the perpendicular (of equity), he is near 
his ruin." Again : u You, O king, sit in the 
place of those who are gone, and of those who 
are to come : how can you establish a firm 
abode between two non-existences ? " Dzoul 
Noun, of Grand Cairo, said to the Caliph : 
" I have learned that one to whom you have 
given power in the country treats the subjects 
with severity, and permits daily wrongs and vi- 
olences there." The Caliph replied: "There 
will come a day when I will severely punish 
him." " Yes," returned the other, " you will 
wait until he has taken all the goods of the sub- 
jects ; then you will bestir yourself, and snatch 
them from him, and will fill your treasury. 



xiv PREFACE. 

But what good will that do to your poor and 
miserable people ? " The king was ashamed, 
and ordered the instant punishment of the of- 
fender. 

It appears, from the anecdotes which Pro- 
fessor Graf has rendered from the Calcutta 
manuscripts, that Saadi enjoyed very high re- 
spect from the great in his own time, and from 
the Sultan of the Mongolian court ; and that 
he used very plain dealing with this last, for 
the redress of grievances which fell under his 
notice. These, with other passages, mark the 
state of society wherein a shepherd becomes a 
robber, then a conqueror, and then sultan. In 
a rude and religious society, a poet and traveller 
is thereby a noble, and the associate of princes, 
a teacher of religion, a mediator between the 
people and the prince, and, by his exceptional 
position, uses great freedom with the rulers. 
The growth of cities and increase of trade rap- 
idly block up this bold access of truth to the 
courts, as the narrator of these events in Saadi's 
life plainly intimates. * " The Sultan, Abake 
Khan, found great pleasure in the verses. Tru- 
ly, at the present time, no learned men or Sheiks 
would dare to utter such advice, even to a gro- 
cer or a butcher ; and hence, also, is the world 
in such bad plight as we see." 

The Persians have been called " the French 



PREFACE. xv 

of Asia " ; and their superior intelligence, their 
esteem for men of learning, their welcome to 
Western travellers, and their tolerance of Chris- 
tian sects in their territory, as contrasted with 
Turkish fanaticism, would seem to derive from 
the rich culture of this great choir of poets, per- 
petually reinforced through five hundred years, 
which again and again has enabled the Persians 
to refine and civilize their conquerors, and to 
preserve a national identity. To the expansion 
of this influence there is no limit ; and we wish 
that the present republication may add to the 
genius of Saadi a new audience in America, 

R. W. E. 

Concord, February, 1864. 




CONTENTS. 

♦ 

Page 
An Essay on the Life and Genius of Sheik Saadi, 

by James Ross 19 

/ 

Preface 93 

CHAPTER I. 
On the Morals of Kings Ill 

CHAPTER II. 
On the Morals of Durwaishes ..... 169 

CHAPTER III. 
Of the Excellency of Contentment .... 218 

CHAPTER IV. 
Of the Advantages of Taciturnity .... 25'6 

CHAPTER V. 
Of Love and Youth 266 

B 



xviii CONTENTS. 

CRA PTER VI. 
On Imbecility and Old Age 297 

CHAPTER VII. 
Of the Effects of Education 306 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Rules for Conduct in Life 336 




AN ESSAY 



ON THE 



LIFE AND GENIUS 



OF 



Sheik Saadi. 



By JAMES ROSS. 



The Life and Genius of 



Sheik Saadi. 



{^lippf^ HIRTY years ago, when I first de- 
V^Itt^^ voted myself to the study of the 
]I:§^|J^-:J Oriental languages, it was my cus- 
syPlsglFlsS torn to translate into English any 
classic which my Munshi had recommended for 
my perusal ; and, among other Persian books, 
I had in this way made translations of the Gu- 
listan and Bustan of Saadi : and now, with much 
diffidence, publish that of the Gulistan, with 
an abridgment of a larger work, being an Es- 
say on the Life and Genius of the author ; 
intending to follow this up next year with my 
translation of the Bustan, with a prefatory cri- 
tique on Saadi's works, and making a volume 
equal in size to this ; but each will otherwise 
be a distinct work. 

Saadi has ever been with me a favorite Per- 
sian classic; and after many and diligent pe- 



22 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

rusals of his Kulliat, or works, I flatter myself 
with having not only mastered the compara- 
tively easy task of folly appreciating his in- 
tellectual faculties, but also the more difficult 
one of portraying the features and passions of 
his mind. In this sketch of Saadi's life, I shall 
duly avail myself of my Asiatic authorities. As, 
however, Oriental notions of biography differ 
so essentially from ours, that little is to be 
gleaned from them that can interest the Euro- 
pean reader, I am fortunate in finding that an- 
ecdotes of the temper, manners, and habits of 
so excellent a moralist and writer are constantly 
occurring in his own works; and I have only 
to quote them to give a perfect insight into his 
character. 

Silghur, a Turkish officer in the service of 
the Saljuc Sultans, usurped the government 
of Pars, and was the origin of that dynasty of 
Atabaks, or Attabegs, who reigned there A. H. 
543-668. And of them Atabak Toklah, or 
Toglah, reigned A. H. 571-591, and was suc- 
ceeded by his brother Atabak Saad-bin-Zungi, 
who reigned A. H. 591 - 623 ; and was suc- 
ceeded by his son Atabak Abubakr, A. H. 623 
- 658 ; and he again was succeeded by his son 
Saad-bin-Abibakr, who died within a twelve- 
month ; and after a few and feverish reigns 
of women and infants, consisting altogether of 



OF SHEIK SAADL 23 

nine years, the dynasty became extinct, A. H. 
668. All these reigns are included within the 
first three fourths of Saadi's life : but Dowlat 
Shah must mistake in dating Saadi's death under 
one of this Silghur, or Silaghur dynasty ; or 
there must have been a second dynasty of them. 

Dowlat Shah, in his Tuzkirrah-ashshaara, or 
Lives of the Persian Poets, says, that Saadi's 
father held some office at the Shiraz court; 
and from what Saadi himself says, in a Kitah, 
or fragment of his book of Sahibayah, more 
immediately under the Diwaii, or prime minis- 
ter. Speaking in eulogy of him : " My father 
was thy old domestic ; he passed his whole life 
in thy service: thy born slave, when he first 
saw the light, naturally cast his eyes up to thy 
countenance: I can never seek the patronage 
of another, who have been the nurtured child 
of thy bounty." 

In the first year of Atabak Toklah's reign, 
or A. H. 571, A. D. 1194, Saadi was born at 
Shiraz, the capital of Pars, or Persia proper; 
and the epithet of Shirazi applies equally to 
him and Hafiz, as much honored natives of that 
Dar u'lilom, or seat of learning. Dowlat Shah 
says, that his proper name was Moslih u'd-din, 
or the Umpire of the faith ; but he was better 
known afterwards by that of Sheik Saadi Shi- 
razi, — Sheik properly signifying the head of 



24 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

an Arabian tribe ; and among Mussulmans it 
was anywhere conferred upon a senior, who 
commanded the love and esteem of his neigh- 
bors from authority, age, genius, or piety ; and, 
on account of the two last virtues, is among 
the Persians more especially applied to Nizami 
and Saadi ; and it is no small compliment, that 
though the former is the senior, and next to 
Firdausi the best Persian heroic poet, yet Saadi 
is appropriately called the Sheik ! 

Again, Sadi, or Saadi, signifying felicity, is 
his Tokhullus, or poetical name; and was, ac- 
cording to Dowlat Shah, given to him by Ata- 
bak Saad-bin-Zungi. This is probable ; but he 
is wrong in saying that Saadi was born in that 
prince's reign. This mode of appellation a 
writer in the East does not affect till he has 
established his character as a poet ; when, after 
being confirmed to him, like a title of nobility, 
by some sovereign prince, he takes the first 
opportunity of introducing his Tokhullus into 
the Shah-bayit, or last stanza of a ghaza], or 
other poem, and seldom omits to use it thus 
afterwards : and Cowley, among ourselves, has 
happily adopted this Oriental custom : — 

" The wise example of the heavenly lark, 
Thy fellow-poet, Cowley, mark ; 
Above the clouds let thy proud music sound, 
Thy humble nest build on the ground ! M 



OF SHEIK SAADI. 25 

Jami calls Saadi Sharf-u'd-din Mislah. son of 
Abdullah : and an Alowi, or descendant of AH. 

Saadi' s father and mother were alive within 
his own recollection ; for he often mentions the 
first (Bustan, ii. 2 ; ix. 13, 15, &c), and his 
mother, very feelingly (Gulistan, vi. 6) ; but, 
froni his calling himself an orphan, both must 
have died while our Sheik was yet a stripling. 
For he says (Bust. ii. 2) : "If the orphan come 
to cry, who will soothe him ? if he be pettish, 
who will put up with his ill-humors ? take heed 
that he weep not; for the throne of the Al- 
mighty is shaken to and fro when the orphan 
sets a crying. Once my head was lofty as that 
which wears a crown, for then I could lay it 
upon the bosom of a father: had a fly but 
dared to settle on my body, it would have been 
enough to alarm a whole family ; but were my 
enemies ready to inake me now their captive, 
none of my friends would come to my rescue : 
I can feel a sympathy for the helplessness of 
infancy, because in my childhood I lost my 
father." 

In his Nafhat-u'1-ans, or Memoirs of the 
Sufis, Jami says, that he was descended from 
the Sliarif, or noble house of Abdullah Hafaif. 
But however dignified Ins birth, or lucrative 
his, station at court, both advantages must have 
died with the father ; otherwise we should not 

2 



26 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

find Saadi using his interest with Shamsud-din 
to exempt his brother from some extortion in 
his mean occupation of retailing figs. This 
prime minister, then, it would seem, viceroy on 
the part of Abaca-an, at Shiraz, acted hand- 
somely on the occasion by laying a thousand 
gold dinars at Saadi' s feet, as a compensation 
to his brother ; but would not, as the story 
adds, think of offering any money-compliment 
to a darwesh like himself. In the Risallah, or 
tract on the questions of the Lord Diwan, this 
same generous friend sends him five hundred 
dinars, under the pretence of supplying food 
for his birds ; of which the servant, considering 
himself as one of Saadi' s birds, purloins a hun- 
dred and fifty; being, like the Irishman, not 
aware that the letter which accompanied this 
gift, and its answer, would detect him. On as- 
certaining this knavery, the messenger is forth- 
with sent back with an order for Saadi on the 
Shiraz treasury for 10,000 gold dinars! And 
on another occasion, he and his brother Ula-ud- 
din, joint ministers of that son and successor of 
the Tartar emperor, Halaku Khan, sent Saadi, 
then an old resident in his hermitage at Shiraz, 
a bag of 50,000 dinars, or about £24,000 of 
our money, which he was to lay out in building 
a caravansary under the citadel of Cohindar, 
near Shiraz, and which Saadi had much at heart 



OF SHEIK SAADI. 27 

in completing. By the mother's side Saadi' s 
relations were some of them eminent for learn- 
ing; and Mola Cut'b Alamah, his maternal 
uncle, is noticed as his first master in science. 

Jami says, that Saadi was a Sufi of profound 
learning, or master in every branch of science, 
and accomplished in the polite arts : for, ac- 
cording to Dowlat Shah, "he commenced his 
studies at the Nizamiah College of Baghdad," 
which, during five centuries, had been the chief 
seat of Oriental learning, and the magnificent 
residence of the Khalifs : and there he held an 
Idrar, or fellowship (Bustan, vii. 14) ; having 
had for his tutor in science the learned Ab'ul 
Firah-ibin-Jozi (Gul. ii. 21), and in theology 
Abd-u'1-cadir the Grilani ; and with the last he 
made his first pilgrimage to Mecca; which he 
repeated fourteen times, and chiefly on foot; 
and he often makes his adventures on such oc- 
casions the subject of an apologue (Gul. ii. 25, 
26, &c> 

Being a classical, as well as a spoken idiom 
and court dialect, the Tazi, or modern Arabic, 
under the illustrious patronage of the Khalifs, 
^ reached as great perfection as has ever been 
the lot of any human tongue. Saadi knew and 
wrote it well ; and carried the practice of del- 
uging the Persian language with it to a greater 
length than any of his predecessors had done. 



28 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

In his Gulistan (v. 21) he refers with fondness 
to its currency in A. D. 1256, at Baghdad, little 
thinking that, in the course of two years, he 
should have occasion to pen in it a Casidah, or 
elegy, on its being sacked by Halaku the Tar- 
tar, its palaces and colleges plundered, and the 
Khalif Mustasim, the last of the Abissites, and 
all that were dignified and learned, with a mil- 
lion and a half of its inhabitants, barbarously 
murdered. Saadi wrote a book of Tazi elegies ; 
but that city and its university were his alma 
mater, the seat of the religion he revered, and 
the muses he adored ; and he consequently felt 
a pathos on this horrible event ; and all that 
understand it must relish its propriety and ele- 
gance. 

Saadi mentions himself to have been twice 
married. Of his first marriage, at Aleppo, he 
tells a pleasant story, to which (Gul. ii. 30) I 
beg to refer the reader; desiring him to recol- 
lect, that though Saadi, as a Mussulman, had, 
like the Jews, a legal right to repudiate his 
troublesome wife, yet in that case he must 
have repaid her dowry ; and he was all his life 
too improvident, if not poor, to do that. Besides, , 
a sense of family honor will deter one of the 
orthodox from idly parting with the woman of 
his former affections : also, he is obliged to give 
three notices of his intention to the Cazy ; and 



OF SHEIK SAADI. 29 

though, during the heat of passion, instances 
occur of a first, and perhaps a second notice, 
after twenty years' intercourse with them, I 
never heard of a third, which was to complete 
it. Of his other wife, at Sanaa, the capital of 
Yamin, he makes no mention ; but hi Bustan 
(ix. 25) laments their loss of an only son with 
the feelings of a parent: "If despair over- 
whelm thee in this abode of gloom, be wise 
and prepare for thyself a place of greater cheer- 
fulness : wishest thou the night of the grave 
to be luminous as day, carry along with thee, 
ready trimmed, the lamp of good works." Thus 
could Saadi reconcile himself to a heavy loss ; 
the duties of his religion inculcating the sin 
of complaining, and his philosophy teaching him 
that it were fruitless to repine for what he could 
not recall. Two such trials terrified a man of 
Saadi's disposition from another such connection. 
He thought, perhaps, like Cicero, who, being, 
after his divorce from Tullia, invited to a second 
marriage, replied, he could not — " simul amare 
et sapere — be wise and in love at the same 
time ! " or, as Saadi's old friend answered, " I 
do not like to marry an old woman ! " " Why," 
said his adviser, " do you not, now you are rich, 
choose a young one ? " " Because," he replied, 
"when I was young myself, I did not love old 
women ; and cannot hope that, now I am old, 
a young woman can love me." (Gul. vi. 8.) 



30 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

Instead of the comforts of a family circle, 
Saadi was doomed to pass the sixty or seventy 
last years of his extreme long life in the cell 
of a hermit ; and latterly seems to have im- 
bibed a reprehensible portion of that ancient 
Grecian, as well as Oriental, contempt for the 
fair sex ; and to have entertained a prejudiced 
and strange notion about our posterity and the 
marriage duty. (Gul. vi. 5.) In Gulistan, viii. 
55, he says : " Consilium foeminis invalidum : 
it be bad to hold counsel w T ith women" ; or, as 
he adds on another occasion, " Take your wife's 
opinion, and act opposite to it ! " And again 
(Bustan, vi. 24) : " Choose a fresh wife every 
spring, or new-year's day ; for the almanac 
of last year is good for nothing ! " According 
to the Mussulman creed, prayers five times a 
day bring the good believer half-way towards 
the Deity ; and in this, as absolutely necessary 
to corporal purification, ablution is each time in- 
cluded ; but with women certain physical impuri- 
ties (Bustan, ix. 13) prevent this ceremonial for 
some days monthly ; yet Saadi adds, those do 
not, according to our European vulgar notion, 
exclude women from Paradise. Nor, though 
he recommends selfishness (Bustan, ii. 7), — 
" Because the property of my father descended 
to me, it needs not be left to descend to my chil- 
dren : eat and drink, spend and enjoy it thyself, 



OF SHEIK SAADL 31 

for why shouldst thou trouble thyself about 
those who are to succeed thee," — yet he car- 
ries not this misanthropy so far as our prince 
of existing fashionable poets has done. 

" But amidst the crowd, the ham, and shock of men, 
To hear, to see, to feel, and to possess, 
And roam along, the world's tired denizen, 
With none who bliss, none whom we can bliss ; 
None with kindred consciousness endued ; 
This is to be alone, and mj loved solitude ! " 

That he was not a domestic man, and had 
no surviving family, was no fault of Saadi : like 
Socrates he put wedlock to the double ordeal of 
a trial ; and if he enjoyed not the social retire- 
ment of a Solon, he felt not the misanthropic 
celibacy of a Thales. After those experiments 
he prided him in his tempered kinaat or con- 
tentment ; and supported himself, with unaffect- 
ed indifference, on the casual charity of his 
admirers, during the two last third parts of his 
life, either as a wandering mendicant or solitary 
recluse. u Never," does he honestly exclaim 
(Gulistan, hi. 19), "did I complain of my for- 
lorn condition but on one occasion, when my feet 
were bare, and I had not wherewithal to shoe 
them. Soon after, meeting a man without feet, 
I was thankful for the bounty of Providence 
to myself, and with perfect resignation submit- 
ted to my want of shoes." 



32 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

Many such anecdotes, incidents, and adven- 
tures, that occurred to him during his travels, we 
meet in his works ; and, whether creditable or 
not, told with the same ingenuousness. Crimes, 
vices, and misfortunes chiefly occupy the nar- 
ratives of such adventurers among ourselves; 
but even in romance the hero's life generally 
concludes in his first wedlock. Our rigid law 
would construe Saadi's adventure with the Brah- 
min at Sumnaafr (Bustan, viii. 15), and Moses' 
slaughter of the Egyptian, into murder ; other- 
wise, however unfortunate, his personal adven- 
tures seldom have the stain of crime, or even 
vice. Nay, after he had ceased to be a married 
man and enterprising traveller, his life contin- 
ues to interest, and himself to be useful ; for, as 
an ascetic, he was visited by the first charac- 
ters of his time, and consulted by his contem- 
porary princes and kings. 

Dowlat Shah says, " that the first thirty years 
of Saadi's long life were devoted to study, 
and laying up a stock of knowledge ; the next 
thirty, or perhaps forty, in treasuring up expe- 
rience, and disseminating that knowledge, dur- 
ing his wide-extending travels ; and that some 
portion should intervene between the business 
of life and hour of death, and that with him 
chanced to be the largest share of it, he spent 
the remainder of his life, or seventy years, in 



OF SHEIK SAADL 33 

the retirement of a recluse, when he was ex- 
emplary in his temperance, and edifying in his 
piety." Even when a boy, he confesses him- 
self to have been overmuch religious (Gul. ii. 7), 
and ingenuously mentions this reproof of his 
father : " You had better," said that sensible 
parent, " have been yourself asleep, than to be 
thus calumniating your neighbors." In Gulistan, 
v. 18, he says, " that on the death of a young 
friend, and himself still a young man, he had 
vowed to pass a life of retirement, and to fold 
up the carpet of enjoyment." And in the Pre- 
face of the Gulistan he is enticed by another 
friend to quit such a state of abstraction and re- 
tirement. He would seem to have been sincere 
and affectionate in his friendships ; and many 
such disappointments, and an habitual love of 
seclusion, had often disgusted him with social 
life, and early inured him to the habits of a 
hermit. (Gul. ii. 30.) However, real want, I 
fear, had often brought him back into the busy 
world ; for he positively tells us, 

" Paupertas impulet audax 
Ut verses facerem," 

that he wrote for his bread (Bustan, vi. 5): 
" The belly puts manacles upon the wrists, and 
fetters upon the ankles ; the bounden slave of 
the belly is constrained in his devotions : had 
Saadi's belly in any shape resembled his back, 

2* C 



34 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

that is, been tolerant of its load, nobody would 
at this day have been criticising his writings. " 
And in Bustan, vii. 6, he alludes to his having 
commenced to write at a late period ; and that, 
having once begun, he had no alternative but 
that of proceeding. 

Jami relates, " that Saadi had travelled much 
and far, and visited many strange countries; 
he had often made the pilgrimage of Mecca on 
foot, and once penetrated so far as the pagoda, 
or lot-kadah, image-temple, at Sumnaat, on the 
Malabar coast, where he overthrew, and broke 
in pieces, the great idol. He had much relig- 
ious and moral intercourse with Sheik Shohab- 
ud-din and other reverend gentlemen. For a 
length of time he led the life of a Sacayi, or 
water-drawer, in the Holy Land, and was thus 
administering to the thirsty traveller, till found 
worthy of an introduction to the prophet Khizr, 
Elias or the Syrian and Greek Hermes, who 
moistened his mouth with the water of im- 
mortality. A descendant of Ali disputed the 
truth of this with Saadi, and got reproved in 
a dream, by the prophet, for his incredulity. 
Another gentleman had also doubted it, and 
next night had a dream, or rather vision; for 
it seemed to him as if the gates of heaven were 
thrown open, and a host of angels descending 
with salvers of glory in their hands. On asking 



OF SHEIK SAADI. So 

one of them for whom those were intended, 
he answered, for Shaik Saadi of Shiraz, who 
has written a stanza of poetry, that has met 
the approbation of God Almighty," as follows: 
" To the eyes of the intelligent the foliage of 
the grove displays, in every leaf, a volume of 
the Creator's works." 

" The meanest floweret of the vale, 
The simplest note that swells the gale, 
The common sun, the air, and skies, 
To him are opening paradise ! " 

" On recovering from his reverie, that holy 
man forthwith proceeded to the door of Saadi's 
cell, in order to apologize for his incredulity, 
and to congratulate him upon this auspicious 
vision. He found the Sheik sitting up, with 
a lighted taper before him, and chanting to 
himself ; and, on listening attentively, found that 
he was singing the above stanza." Incredible 
as this is, one of the fathers of our Church, 
St. Chrysostom, tells us, " that, on consecrating 
the element of bread and wine, he has instan- 
taneously seen a multitude of white-robed an- 
gels surrounding the altar, and bowing their 
heads, as soldiers do in making their homage 
to the sovereign ! " 

In his Life of Khosraw of Delhi, Jami tells 
us that this poet also asked Khizr for a mouth- 
ful of this inspiring beverage ; but he told him 



36 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

that Saadi had got the last of it. Yet Hafiz, 
who is on this account called Sadie sani, or a 
second Saadi, tells us in one of his ghazals : 
" Yesterday, at dawn, God delivered me from all 
worldly affliction ; and amidst the gloom of night 
presented me with the water of immortality ! " 

Saadi states himself to be at Delhi during 
the Patan Aglamish's time, who, after a reign 
of twenty-six years, died A. H. 633, or in Saadi's 
sixty-second year ; and if Amir Khosraw, de- 
scended from the Amirs, or princes, of the noble 
tribe of Lachin in the province of Balkh, was, 
as Jami says and as is generally believed, the 
youth whom Saadi (in Gul. v. 17) got so much 
enraptured with at Cashghur, and who died at 
Delhi, A. H. 715, in his seventy-fourth year, — 
allowing Khosraw to have been fourteen when 
they met, Saaxli was still a traveller in A. H. 
641, or his seventieth year ! 

In the course of reading his works, I have 
remarked, that he mentions himself to have 
visited in person Europe, Barbary, Abyssinia, 
Egypt, Syria. Palestine, Armenia, Asia Minor, 
the three grand divisions of Arabia, and every 
province of Iran and many parts of Turan, 
or of Persia and Tartary, from Busrah and 
Baghdad to the Scythian Wall, and at Rudbar, 
Deilman on the Caspian Sea, Cashghur beyond 
the Jilmn, or Oxus, across the Sind'h, or Indus, 



OF SHEIK SAADI. 37 

and into many parts of Hindustan, &c. ; and 
from a poem in his book of Fragments it ap- 
pears that he had a practical knowledge, for 
lie quotes a line in each, of eighteen idioms, 
dialects, and languages, as spoken in the many 
regions into which he had thus travelled. 

Engelbert Kaempfer, who visited Shiraz. A.D. 
1686, says- of Saadi, " that videt Egyptiam et 
ItaJiam ; and that he was much skilled in the 
Oriental languages ; nay, that he had studied 
the Latin tongue, and had diligently perused the 
works of Seneca ! " But any partiality for the 
blemishes of this Roman metaphysician would 
better apply to Jami than to Saadi. 

A man of Saadi' s character and fame was 
recollected with fondness and veneration in the 
many regions he thus visited, and few of them, 
especially those under Mussulman governments, 
but retain some local memorial of him ; and 
in their collections of Persian anecdotes, — and 
these, like- our Joe Miller's jests, abound all 
over the East, — their writers accommodate him 
with a niche : as he had himself complimented 
an iEsop or Lucmam Socrates or Plato, Hip- 
pocrates or Galen, and even "St. John the Bap- 
tist and our blessed Saviour! Two examples 
I shall here translate from his Badaya, or book 
of rhetorical ghazals : and first : " Xo man can 
in tins world listen to the lamentations of Saadi, 



38 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

that must not bear testimony to his complaints, 
as originating in the very extremity of pain : 
if Plato in his wisdom is mysterious in defining 
love, the veil shall ultimately be withdrawn 
from the face of his hidden secret." 

This alludes of course to the Platonic love, 
which was not so much a doctrine of Plato as 
of his refining followers; and which the fol- 
lowers of Saadi construed into downright Su- 
fism and mystery. 

Again : "It is the vernal season : for the 
heart is every moment longing to walk in the 
garden ; and every bird of the grove is melo- 
dious in its carols, as the nightingale. Thou 
wilt fancy it the dawning zephyr of an early 
spring, or new year's day morning; but it is 
the breath of Isa, or Jesus ; for in that fresh 
breath and verdure the dead earth is reviving." 

Of our blessed Saviour, Saadi and all the 
best Persian poets often speak, and always with 
respect and reverence ; and here, as on many 
other occasions, he admits of his power of work- 
ing miracles, if not his divinity; and I wish 
I could speak as well in the converse of our 
Christian missionaries in the East ! And in 
Gul. ii. 10 we find Saadi praying at St. John 
the Baptist's tomb at Damascus ; and asked, by 
the prince of that province, to intercede for him 
in his supplications. 



OF SHEIK SAADL 39 

In fact, Saadi was not only inspired by Khizr 
with the faculty of poetry, but also with that 
of w r orking miracles ; for Dowlat Shah tells us : 
" That, when finally settled as an ascetic, the 
middling and common orders of his neighbors 
supplied him with a daily and plenteous stock 
of dressed provisions, the only charity he would 
receive ; of which he would himself sparingly 
partake ; but the best part he hung in a basket 
from the balcony of his cell, that the poor wood- 
cutters might take it home, on returning with 
their faggots from the wilderness. One day a 
thief, disguised like a wood-cutter, made free 
with the basket, when his arm became instantly 
blasted ; and, with a lamentable noise, he called 
on the Sheik to relieve him. He answered 
him in reproach, If you are a wood-cutter, 
where are the callousness and scars of your 
business ? and if a robber, where that hardihood, 
that would deaden your feelings to so trifling a 
wound ? He then prayed for, and healed him, 
and dismissed him with a portion of his pro- 
visions." 

Nor was he on all occasions an idle traveller ; 
for he had fought against the enemies of his 
faith ; and, in the holy wars with the Christians 
and Hindus, added to the name of Haji, or 
a pilgrim to Mecca, the epithet of Ghazi, or 
a holy warrior. Dastards are scurrilous; but 



40 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

the generous speak- well even of their foes. 
In Bustan, vii. 18, Saadi asks a brother recluse, 
who was railing at the Christians, " whether he 
had ever been engaged in the holy wars with 
the Franks." Yet he can confess that, any- 
more than Horace or Otway, he was no warrior 
by profession; for he and another gay youth, 
tricked out in all the habiliments of war, sub- 
mitted to be plundered of them by two Hindu 
robbers in the territory of Balkh, rather than 
risk their lives in defending them. (Gul. vii. 13.) 
Ibrahim Khan of Banares, in his Sohofi Ibra- 
him, says : " A few of the illustrious results 
of Saadi 's extensive travels were the sight of 
strange cities and territories, the detail of mar- 
vellous adventures, the vicissitudes of life, con- 
versation of enlightened sages, the acquisition 
of science and knowledge, and, above all, a 
mouthful of the prophet Khizr's water of im- 
mortality ! " Or, as he says himself, in his 
Bustan (vi. 16) : " Was not this globe shaken 
to its centre, before it came to rest ? Was not 
Saadi obliged to travel, before he obtained sci- 
ence and knowledge, the objects of his heart ? " 
On his worldly experience, I refer the reader 
to Gul. hi. 28, where a father dissuades his 
able-bodied son from roaming from home, and 
anticipates his disappointments abroad. And 
of his own unsettled state, whether from ne- 



OF SHEIK SAADL 41 

cessity or habit, he speaks with his usual phi- 
losophy (Bustan, v. 2) : " Fortune so ordained, 
that I should leave Ispahan, for I had no means 
of subsisting any longer at that place : my 
destiny removed me from Irac into Syria, and 
in this happy land I made a pleasant sojourn : 
the cup of my allotted abode in Syria again 
overflowed, and a longing desire to see home 
drew me thence ; and chance again ordained, 
that, on my return, I should pass through the 
province of Irac." 

The following story must be familiar with the 
Persian tyro of Bengal, being an extract of the 
Travels of Hatim Tayi, and the first Persian 
book put into his hands ; and is no doubt the 
prototype of that wonderful German romance- 
of Leonora, which some twenty years ago was 
popular in two or three able translations into 
English. 

" On one occasion, Saadi had made a long 
enough stay in Armenia to unite himself in the 
bonds of friendship with a youth of his own 
age. In that country, people then died not the 
natural death they died elsewhere ; but, on a 
particular day, once a year, they met on a plain 
by their chief cities, where they occupied them- 
selves in recreation and amusement ; in the 
midst of which, individuals of every age and 
rank would suddenly stop, make a reverence to 



42 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

the west, gird up their loins, and, setting out 
full speed towards that quarter of the desert, 
were no more seen nor heard of. Saadi had 
often remarked, that this was the lot of many 
who were fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters 
of some or other of his acquaintance ; but these 
seemed indifferent to the event, and were re- 
served in explaining it. At last, on such an 
anniversary, he saw that friend of his affection 
preparing to set off, when he seized upon his 
girdle, and insisted upon knowing what it 
meant. The youth solemnly enjoined him to let 
him go, for that the Malic-al-mo-at, or Angel 
of Death, had already called on him twice ; and, 
on the third call, his destiny would drag him 
on, whether he would or not. Yet Saadi kept 
his hold : and found himself carried along with 
such a velocity as soon deprived hun of all pow- 
er of knowing whither they went. At last, they 
stopped at a verdant plain in the midst of the 
desert, when the youth stretched himself upon 
the earth, and the turf opened like a grave, and 
swallowed him up ! " After throwing dust over 
his body, Saadi sat for some days by the head 
of the grave ; and of his manifold lamentations 
the following is one : " On the day when thy 
foot was pierced with the thorn of death, would 
to God that the hand of fortune had clove my 
head with the sword of annihilation ! that my 



OF SHEIK SAADI. 43 

eyes might not this day have seen the world 
without thee ; such am I seated at the head of 
thy dust, as the ashes are on my own head ! " 
After this, he had his way to find back over 
rivers of molten gold, silver, and copper, 
through deserts and wildernesses, and over 
mountains of snow, which he accomplishes after 
many other adventures. 

During his many years of travel, Saadi had 
to traverse a sufficiency of clime, and encoun- 
tered a diversity of adventure, without driving 
us to the shift of carrying him thus into fairy- 
land, and making him the hero of one of his 
own fables ; and, amidst the real distress of pov- 
erty, and the dissipation of a wandering and un- 
settled life, he rose to eminence in wisdom and 
learning ; for, ill supplied with the gifts of for- 
tune, the most precious part of that life was a 
continued sojourn from city to city, and from 
kingdom to kingdom ; first, perhaps, led by a 
hope of patronage and preferment, and after- 
wards through choice and habit. During this 
period, though he began them late in life, his 
Kulliat, or works, were composed ; and amidst 
a roving activity he contrived to write more 
than another might, in a like condition, have 
managed to read. 

Dowlat Shah says : " The learning and wit 
of Saadi have been the continued theme of the 



44 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

eloquent ever since his time : his works con- 
tain much variety of poetry and prose ; and of 
the former there are nearly twenty thousand 
verses." Dowlat Shah lived two hundred years 
after Saadi, when Persian literature was upon 
its decline, and speaks of his fame in Asia ; 
and in the course of four hundred and eighty 
years more, Europe is getting a relish for him. 
Kaempfer, speaking of Saadi and Hafiz, says, 
" that both are held in such esteem throughout 
the East, that he can scarce be considered as a 
respectable character who has not read their 
works, and treasured up their wisdom, so as to 
make them the rules of his future life." And 
Jami and Ibrahim Khan both tell us, "that 
men of genius have called the Diwan, or po- 
etical works of Saadi, the Namakdan, or Salt- 
cellar of Poets; and reputable writers have de- 
clared that Saadi was inspired" ; in confirmation 
of which, Molana Hatifa, the nephew of Jami, 
and his superior in genius, penned the follow- 
ing stanza : " Notwithstanding what the prophet 
Mohammed has said, that after me no prophet 
can come, yet there are among the poets three 
men endowed with divine inspiration ; namely, 
Firdausi in heroics, Anwari in elegy, and Saadi 
in the ghazal or ode." 

Mulowi Mohammed Rashid, the able and 
learned collator of the printed Calcutta edition, 



OF SHEIK SAADL 45 

in two folio volumes, A. D. 1791 - 2, says in his 
Persian Introduction : "It must not be omitted, 
that the original collector and editor of Sheik 
Saadi's Kulliat, or Works, was Ali-ben- Ahmad 
of Bisitun ; and in the Preface, which he com- 
posed at the same time, and which has ever since 
been the constant antecedent of the Works, he 
accounts for the occasion of this compilation ; 
and gives the date of A. H. 726 and 734, or 
thirty-three- and forty-one years after Saadi's 
demise." Bisitun, the birthplace of this friend 
of Saadi, and the site of the statuary Farhad's 
operations, lies in the southern part of Irac 
Ajim, and on the high road from the city of 
Hamadan to Gilanac and Baghdad. 

D'Herbelot, as in many of his other Oriental 
statements, leads Sir W. Jones astray, in mak- 
ing the Works of Saadi to consist of only three 
books, namely, the Gulistan, Bustan, and Mu- 
lumaat; and even Major Stewart, in his late 
catalogue of Tippoo Sultan's library, makes 
them to consist only of seventeen books ; but 
Ali-ben- Ahmad more correctly enumerates twen- 
ty-two, to wit : — 

1st. Rasallah, or Tract ; 

2d. Rasallah, or Tract ; 

3d. Rasallah, or Tract ; 

4th. Rasallah, or Tract ; 

5th. Rasallah, or Tract ; 



46 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

6th. Rasallah. or Tract ; 
7th. Gulistan, or Flower Garden ; 
8th. Bustan, or Fruit Garden ; 
9th. Arabian Casaids, or Elegies ; 

10th. Persian Casaids, or Elegies ; 

11th. Mirazi, or Dirges ; 

12th. Mulumaat, or mixed Poems of Persian 
and Arabic ; 

13th. Turjiyat, or Poems with burdens ; 

14th. Taybaat, or plain and less mystical 
Ghazals ; 

15th. Badaya, or rhetorical and more mys- 
tical Ghazals ; 

16th. Khowatim, or what Saadi wrote in his 
old age ; 

17th. Kudim, or what he wrote in his young- 
er days ; 

18th. Sahibiyah, or Poems of eulogy and ad- 
monition, chiefly addressed to his patron Shums- 
ud-din ; 

19th. Macaittaat, or Fragments ; 

20th. Khubisaat, or prose and poetry on im- 
pure and ludicrous subjects ; 

21st. Robiayat, or Tetrastics with regular 
rhymes ; 

22d. Muffridaat, or Distichs with regular 
rhymes. 

Of these two-and-twenty books, the six books 
of Rasallahs, the Gulistan, and part of the Khu- 



OF SHEIK SAADI. 47 

bisaat, are prose, and all the rest poetry ; the 
Bustan consists of couplets, or the heroic line 
of Firdausi and Nizami, of ten and eleven syl- 
lables, and corresponding with that of Pope and 
Addison in English ; the rest are chiefly casaids, 
or elegies, and ghazals, or odes, the first two 
lines forming a couplet of eleven to seventeen 
syllables, and the alternate lines throughout the 
poem rhyming to this, and in a manner peculiar 
to Persian and Arabic poetry. The 14th book, 
or that of Taybaat, forms of itself nearly a Di- 
wan, or collection of ghazals ; the two first lines 
of the first four of them terminate in an Alif, and 
the others in succession in each letter of the 
alphabet. Ibrahim Khan says, " that it must not 
be concealed from the decorators of the poetical 
grove, that the ghazal bower was first reared 
by Saadi." But in this he was mistaken ; for 
Khacani, Jabali, and many others, his seniors, 
write ghazals; and indeed the word Chamah 
hi old Persian has the same ■ signification as the 
Arabic word Ghazal, as Chaghanah has of Ca- 
sidah ; and poems of these two forms, of the 
ode and elegy respectively, must have been 
common with the Persians from time imme- 
morial. Nor, whatever Hafiz may be, can I 
subscribe to Dowlat Shah's opinion " of Amir 
Khosraw being superior to Saadi in the ghazal." 
In the library at the India House, London, 



48 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

there is a curious copy of Saadi's Kulliat, of 
a date previous to the collated copy of Ali-bin- 
Ahmad: it had been deposited there by my 
old shipmate, Sir Harford Jones, who had re- 
ceived it, I think, as a present during his last 
embassy to Persia. # I had it for a few minutes 
in my hand in 1814; and, from the little I 
could thus see of it, should esteem it a valuable 
reference to any future publisher of Saadi's text. 
I had myself a personal knowledge of the 
Calcutta printed edition of Saadi's works, in 
two small folio volumes, being collated with 
much skill and diligence by Mulowi Mohammed 
Rashid, from four valuable MS. copies, some of 
which I also recognized in that library ; but the 
text one, once honored with a place in the 
library of the mighty and great Moghul Shah 
Jihan, is now in my possession. Of that print- 
ed copy the text of the Gulistan occupies nearly 
a third of the first volume, or a sixth of the 
whole, and from that I made my collated trans- 
lation, and should still prefer it ; but Mr. Glad- 
win chose, as the basis of his Calcutta edition, 
the text of Gentius ; and a reprint of that 
having been made in London, 1809, under the 
superintendence of Sir Grore Ouseley, and pat- 
ronized by the professors of the East India 
Company's colleges, and my chief view in this 
translation being to facilitate the studies of their 



OF SHEIK SAADL 49 

Persian pupils, I was tinder the necessity of 
modelling it to their taste. Any particulars I 
shall specify in a memorandum at the conclusion 
of this Essay. 

Saadi had a personal acquaintance with some 
of the principal poets and literary characters 
of his time : some, however, and particularly 
he and Jilal-ud-din Rumi, commonly known as 
the Mulowi Manowi, or mystical doctor, and 
equally patronized by Shums-ud-din, the prime- 
minister of Abaca-an, make no mention of 
each other. Hakim Nizari and Saadi meeting 
accidentally in the market-place at Shiraz, and 
having some conversation, each soon recognized 
a mutual poet in his wit ; and Saadi having of 
course invited him to his dwelling, and happen- 
ing to be flush of cash, most sumptuously en- 
tertained him. Some time after, they met in 
Khorasan, where Nizari in* turn received Saadi 
as his guest ; and, as a satire on his prodigality, 
the first day treated him with a pot of boiled 
milk and bread, the second day with a dish of 
fish, and the third with a joint of roast meat, 
observing to him at the same time, " I can 
afford to entertain you thus for years ; but the 
expensive style hi which you entertained me 
could not have lasted many days." Yet Nizari 
was in fact an epicure, drunkard, and debau- 
chee ; whereas Saadi was habitually temperate, 



50 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

sober, and chaste. When Saadi met him at 
Shiraz, he asked whether he recollected any 
of Nizari's verses; and he answers him by 
quoting the Motla, or first stanza, of one of 
his own ghazals : "It was rumored abroad, that 
I was penitent, and had forsaken wine ; but 
this is a gross calumny, for what have I to do 
with repentance ? " 

Swift, Sterne, and other wits of our last and 
the preceding age, could relish indecency and 
nastiness ; and it is creditable perhaps to the 
present generation, that it has no taste for such 
grossnesses. This was not, however, the case 
in the age and country in which Saadi flour- 
ished, any more than it was in the early and 
best parts of our own literary history. The 
works, not only of Saadi, but of many other 
Persian poets and moralists, afford too many 
examples of coarseness and indelicacy, both of 
thought and expression; and, what is singular, 
Firdausi, Nizami, Khacani, and all their best 
heroic poets, have scarcely any of them. Nor 
is it in his Khubisaat, or book of professed 
impurities, that Saadi thus violates decency ; for 
even the morality of the Gulistan and Bustan 
is occasionally tarnished with such indecorous 
allusions : but in this way, of all the Persians, 
Sozni, a vigorous writer otherwise, is the great- 
est culprit. 



OF SHEIK SAADI. 51 

On my way to Europe, having occasion to 
pass the months of December and January, 
1796-7, in Calcutta, I put my translation of 
the Gulistan into the hands of my friend Mr. 
Gladwin, wishing to have his opinion of it ; 
when he told me he had also projected a trans- 
lation of it, and meant to obviate another indeli- 
cate allusion, particularly in the fifth chapter, 
by changing the male for the female character. 
That I see he has done ; and he has otherwise 
endeavored, by castrating the English of it, to 
purify Gentius's text. But he has overlooked 
the occasional instances of grossness and indeli- 
cacy of sentiment and expression, to which I 
allude above ; and which I have obviated by 
the simpler process of leaving out the transla- 
tion of a few words of the Persian text, the 
first example of this occurring in Gulistan, i. 
40. However, in all such instances, it has been 
my endeavor to preserve, as much as common 
decency will permit of it, the English of Saadi's 
text, that the college student may not be disap- 
pointed ; particularly as the author would seem 
here alone to indulge in obscurity. For such 
passages, — " nudi . enim sunt, recti, ei vennsti, 
omne ornatu orationis tanquam veste detracto" — 
the best apology I would offer is the simplicity 
of heart and nakedness of diction of Oriental 
writers, examples of which occasionally occur 



52 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

in our Old Testament ; and them the profound 
scholars of James's reign, conscious of purity 
themselves, translated into downright and in- 
telligible English ; and if I am in any instance, 
with the view of beino; intelligible in like man- 
ner, coarse, let the reader skip over it, as some 
of our queasy clergy do in reading the morning 
and evening lessons. Yet — horresco ref evens — 
I must not overlook another propensity, to which 
Saadi is accused of alluding with a reprehensible 
levity. An example of this nature occurs in 
Gulistan, v. 20, where the Cazi of Hamadan, 
a character in the East equally venerable and 
sanctified as a judge or bishop with us, is in 
the first instance sentenced to condign death 
and annihilation, but afterwards his abomination 
is made the subject of wit and repartee. But, 
whatever levity he may sport, it in no instance 
appears that he criminally countenanced, and 
still less, as some who have slightly inspected 
his works suspect, practised this vice ; for on 
other occasions he speaks of it, and its abettors, 
with all due scorn and abhorrence ; a notable 
example of which occurs Gul. hi. 14. 

In the Kholasah-u'1-Ashaar, from which I also 
copied the above story of Nizari, it is related, 
"that Kh'ajah Humam-ud-din of Tabriez, or 
Tauris, had a son exquisitely handsome ; and 
that Saadi, who was a great admirer of human 



OF SHEIK SAADI. 53 

beauty, travelled to Tabriez, that he might see 
him. He was one day in the public bathiiig- 
room at Tabriez, when the Kh'ajah entered, 
accompanied by this son : and as he always con- 
cealed him from public view, he was offended 
at meetmg Saadi, and asked him, Whence come 
you ? Saadi answered, From Shiraz. It is sin- 
gular, said Hmnam, that in my city the Shi- 
razians should be more than the dogs and cats ! 
In my city, replied Saadi, it is the reverse ; for 
there the Tabriezians are less ! Like many of 
his townsmen. Saadi was bald. Hnmam, turn- 
ing the ewer he was using, as is customary in 
Oriental ablution, upside down, asked Saadi, 
How comes it that the head of a Sliirazian 
should resemble this utensil? Saadi promptly 
answered him, by presenting his own ewer with 
the empty mouth upwards, and saying, Why 
is the head of a Tabriezian so very like this ? 
The Kh'ajah, who was himself a poet, and 
gentleman of considerable eminence and for- 
tune, was vexed at these two smart replies ; 
and, making his son sit down behind him. asked 
Saadi, Have you ever heard of any of Kh'ajah 
Humam's poetry at Shiraz? Saadi answered, 
Yes: and repeated this fragment: "Humamis 
a veil between me and my beloved: but the 
hour is fast approaching when that too shall be 
removed.*' The Kh'ajah was now made aware 



54 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

that this could only be Saadi ; and, having made 
him the usual compliments of marked respect, 
took him home to his mansion, where he con- 
tinued for a length of time absorbed in con- 
templating the charms of the son. D'Herbelot, 
in his Bibliotheque Orientate, 414, quotes La- 
mai's Duftar-u'1-Lataif, or record of witticisms, 
in the Turkish language, as his authority for 
one of the above repartees, and says, " The 
veil here alluded to is the human body, which 
prevents our seeing God ; and that by this 
verse he, namely Humam, intimated his ap- 
proaching death." And in Ibrahim Khan's 
relation of it there is a play upon the word 
Kun, no uncommon thing among modem Per- 
sian scribblers, but which decency again forbids 
me to translate. 

We are told in the Sayr-u'1-mota-kharin, 
or modern history, of Gholam Hosain, that, 
among other men of rank and education who 
fled from Persia in Saadi's days, in order to 
escape the rapacity and cruelty of the illiterate 
Jinghiz Khan and his Tartar successors, were 
Amir Khosraw and Amir Hasan, both poets 
of genius and learning ; when they found an 
elegant and literary retirement with that ac- 
complished prince Sultan Mohammed, the son 
of Giyath-ud-din Boltan, the Guri king of 
Delhi ; who, in his father's lifetime, held a sort 



OF SHEIK SAADI. . 55 

of sovereign authority over Multan, and other 
Hindustani provinces bordering on Persia ; in 
defence of which he afterwards (A, H. 683, 
A. D. 1284) fell fighting gloriously in battle. 
One day those noble exiles were holding forth, 
in the presence of their munificent patron, on 
the wit and erudition of Sheik Saadi of Shiraz ; 
which both were so liberal in praising as to 
induce the Shahzadah, or heir apparent, to de- 
pute a special messenger, with many valuable 
gifts, to the Sheik, and an invitation to come 
and reside at Multan, where he ens-aged to 
build him a monastery, and endow it with vil- 
lages and lands : but Saadi, because of his ex- 
treme age and feeble frame, beino; then in his 
ninety-second year, declined this friendly offer. 
However, in return for the prince's handsome 
attention, he sent him a volume of pleasant and 
elegant verses, and the Bustan and Gulistan 
copied with his own hand ; and like a man of 
real learning himself, he had the generosity of 
availing himself of this opportunity u to recom- 
mend Amii' Khosraw to the prince, and bestow 
a candid approbation on his works " ; which, 
by the by, are very voluminous : for his poetry 
alone consists of between four and five hundred 
thousand verses ! 

I shall quote one more instance of the respect 
in which Saadi was held, from the sixth Rasal- 



56 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

lah of his own works ; where it is called his in- 
terview with Sultan Abaca-an, then king of 
Persia. 

Saadi tells us, saying : " When, on my return 
from a pilgrimage to the holy Mecca, I arrived 
at that seat of sovereignty, Tabriez, and had 
enjoyed an intercourse with some learned and 
pious men, whose society did me much honor, 
I got desirous of seeing those two illustrious 
noblemen Kh'ajahs Ula-ud-din and Shums-ud- 
din, -as many claims of friendship had of old 
subsisted between us; and having set out one 
day with the view of calling on them, I chanced 
to meet them on my way, riding on horseback, 
in company with Abaca-an, the sovereign of 
the universe. Seeing them so engaged, I did 
not judge it proper to intrude upon them with 
a friendly visit, and was in the act of taking 
myself aside, when they both dismounted, and, 
following me on foot, bowed themselves to the 
earth, and, on coming close up to me, kissed 
my hands and feet, and, congratulating this 
wretched creature on his safe arrival, said, this 
was not just that we had not been apprised 
of the auspicious approach of our august and 
venerable father ! After attending to this cere- 
mony, Sultan Abaca-an remarked, How many 
years has Shums-ud-din been in my service, 
and has known me as the sovereign of the 



OF SHEIK SAADL 57 

universe, yet he never made me such homage 
and respect as he has shown this man ! And 
on the two brothers rejoining him, and remount- 
ing their horses, he turned round to Shunis- 
ud-din and said, Who is that person, whom you 
accosted so humbly, and received so civilly ? 
Shums-ud-din answered, O Sire ! this was our 
father! Then the Sultan said, Oftentimes have 
I asked after your father, and you were answer- 
ing me, He is dead ; and now you said, This was 
our father ! He replied, He is our father and 
our Sheik: possibly the renowned name of 
. Sheik Saadi of Shiraz may have reached his 
royal highness's ear, for his sayings are cele- 
brated all over the world. Abaca-an com- 
manded them, saying, You must introduce him 
to me. They replied, We have heard, and shall 
obey. Accordingly, after associating with the 
Sheik for some days, they asked him to attend 
the king ; but he was declining their invitation, 
and saying, Relieve me from this ceremony, 
and make my excuses. They said, You will 
assuredly go for our sakes, and shall be your 
own master in every matter else." The Sheik 
adds : " For their satisfaction I agreed to- accom- 
pany them ; and having attended at court, and 
had an audience of the king, when about to 
take my leave, his majesty was pleased to say, 
Give me a maxim of advice. I replied, You 

3* 



58 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

can take along with you, from this world into 
the next, nothing but reward or punishment; 
now, or in this world, be thou charitable and 
righteous ! Abaca-an said, Put the purport of 
this sentiment into verse." And the Sheik ut- 
tered this extemporary fragment on Equity and 
Justice : " That king who is the pastor of the 
people, let his revenue be sacred, for it is the 
hire of the shepherd ; but if not the people's 
guardian, let it be his deadly poison, for what- 
ever he exacts is an imposition on the faithful." 
Abaca-an wept, and repeatedly asked, Am I 
that pastor or not ? And the Sheik each time 
answered, If you are, the first couplet is in 
favor of your case ; otherwise, the second liter- 
ally applies to it. The Sheik adds, that on 
taking my final leave, I repeated these few 
verses : " A king is the shadow of God ; and 
a shadow should be the image of its principal : 
the disposition of the subject is not capable of 
good, unless it be restrained by the sword of 
the sovereign : any peaceable demeanor that 
is found in this world originates in the justice of 
its princes : that sovereign's government never 
can be just whose entire judgment is founded 
in wickedness." Which met Abaca-an's full- 
est concurrence. Ali-bin- Ahmad adds, " that 
in his days pious and learned men would not 
venture to admonish even a common shop- 



OF SHEIK SAADL 59 

keeper after this manner; and that in matters 
of right the times had degenerated to what 
they then were." Thus have moralists in all 
ages complained of the degeneracy of their 
own days, and occasionally ventured on such 
advice. Agatho, the poet and friend of Eurip- 
ides, admonished Archelaus, king of Macedon, 
saying, " A prince should keep in mind three 
maxims : 1st. that he rules over men ; 2d. that 
he ought to rule according to law ; and, 3d. that 
he cannot rule forever." Also, it is proper 
to warn the reader, that there must have been 
two Shums-ud-dins ; one„ the minister of a king 
of the Atabak dynasty, who reigned at Shiraz, 
and patronized Saadi's father ; and another the 
Diwan, or prime minister of Abaca-an, A. H. 
663, 680, by whom he was employed in offices 
of great trust ; but was put to death, A. H. 
683, by the son and successor, Sultan Arghun 
Khan, on the strange charge of having poisoned 
his father, Abaca-an : and such a circumstance 
must have tended to embitter the latter days 
of Saadi. 

Yet why should he regret the death of his 
illustrious friend and patron, who if a good man 
only went before him to be happy, where he, 
as a good man himself, and long dead to life's 
enjoyments, might hope, nay, wish, soon to join 
him. Early or late we must all go; and the 



60 TEE LIFE AND GENIUS 

heartiest and most sanguine of us is as much 
dead to that part of his life that is gone as 
that friend then was ; and must soon be to what 
remains of it. Saadi's life was unusually long ; 
but the latter part of it was, I fear, too un- 
happy for him — like the old Persian (Gul. vi. 1) 
he was called upon to visit at Damascus — to 
regret his at last parting with it. 

And, at its best, the longest life is but a drop 
of rain falling from a cloud into the ocean of 
eternity, where it is swallowed up and lost in 
this immensity, unless it find the body of a 
Saadi to nurture it into that pearl, the Gulistan, 
in its original classical Persian. This I have 
attempted to translate into English ; but it is a 
translation, and, in order to make it useful, 
necessarily a literal one ; therefore the reader 
must not be disappointed if he find the bright 
water of Saadi's pearl again evaporated into the 
clouds, and little else left but the shell that once 
contained it. Yet will my object be obtained 
if this translation shall enable the young student 
to understand Saadi's Persian text; and, by 
relishing such a classic, recover that pearl which 
I was forced to drop. 

However much his biographers vary in the 
specific number, they all agree in making him 
above a hundred ; and Dowlat Shah and Ibra- 
him Khan say, that Saadi lived a hundred and 



OF SHEIK SAADI. 61 

two years. But Jami, who was Dowlat Shah's 
contemporary, and, as a brother poet, more in- 
terested hi the exact truth, states him as having 
been born at Shiraz, A. H. 571, or A. D. 1194, 
and as having died at the same plate, A. H. 
690 ; by which it would appear that he reached 
the very advanced age of one hundred and 
twenty lunar, or one hundred and sixteen solar 
years ! This date of his death Dowlat Shah 
also confirms ; for he says, " that Saadi de- 
parted this life at Shiraz, in the reign of Atabak 
Mohammed Shah, the son of Muzuffar Sila- 
ghur Shah-bm-Saad-bin-Zungi ; and that a dear 
friend records the date of that noble personage's 
demise as follows. It was on the evening of 
Friday, or the Mohammedan Sabbath, in the 
month Showal, of the Arabian year six hundred 
and ninety, that the eagle of the immaterial 
soul of Sheik Saadi shook from his plumage 
the dust of his body." This sublime senti- 
ment was no doubt borrowed from the following 
two lofty couplets of Saadi's own Bustan (vi. 1) : 
" Now that the falcon of his soul would tower 
into the zenith of the sky, why hast thou bur- 
dened his pinion with a load of covetousness ? 
hadst thou released his skirt from the talons of 
carnal desires, he would have soared on high 
into the angel Gabriel's abode." 

In fact, a dozen equally appropriate and beau- 



62 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

tiful epitaphs might be selected from his works. 
As in some parts of Scotland, it is customary 
with the people in the East to plant rose-bush- 
es, and other flowering shrubs, round the plain 
graves of their defunct friends; in allusion to 
which Saadi says (Gul. vii. 16) : " Alas ! I 
said, how grateful didst thou prove to my heart, 
so long as the verdure of thy existence flour- 
ished in the garden ! Have patience, he replied, 
O my friend ! till the return of the spring, and 
thou mayst again see verdure and flowers shoot- 
ing from my bosom." Or, as my own master in 
rhetoric, Doctor Beattie, beautifully expresses it : 

" Nor yet for the ravage of winter I mourn : 

Kind Nature the embryo blossoms will save ; 
The roses shall bloom round my mouldering urn, 
And spring again dawn on the night of my grave." 

But these last six couplets of Bustan, iv. 16, 
are still more appropriate : " Take heed, ye 
that tread on my ashes : by the dust of the gen- 
erous I crave your remembrance ; that though 
Saadi be mouldered into dust, what has he to 
apprehend, who, during his lifetime, had also 
been humble as the dust? In helplessness he 
laid his body prostrate on the earth, and then 
he encompassed the globe like the wind (by 
travelling over it) : it may soon happen that 
the earth shall consume him, and the wind 
may again whirl him like dust round the uni- 



OF SHEIK SAADL 63 

verse ! Behold, wliile the rose-bower of mysti- 
cism blossomed, in it no nightingale warbled so 
melodiously; now it were strange, when that 
nightingale is dead, if roses did not spring from 
its bones." 

Dowlat Shah says, that Saadi's tomb is sit- 
uated in a charming spot, in the midst of 
fountains and buildings, and is held in much 
estimation as a place of pilgrimage : and Ibra- 
him Khan speaks of it under the name of 
Sadiyah ; but he means, I fancy, that gate of 
Shiraz which formerly led to it. Kaempfer 
mentions those buildings to be the numerous 
cemeteries of other great and learned men; 
and among them that of Hafiz : but the whole 
was in his time, A. D. 1686, rather neglected 
and dilapidated. My friend, Colonel W. Frank- 
lin, found it, in A. D. 1787, "just in the state 
it was when Saadi was buried," and as Kaemp- 
fer had found it, with the sides engraved with 
many sentences in the old Noskhi character, 
which neither of those gentlemen thought of 
copying. The Colonel visited it in Karim Khan's 
time, a great adorner of Shiraz and that neigh- 
borhood, who built a new monument for Hafiz, 
but left Saadi's as it was : however, he needs 
no such frail support ; for in his literary works 
he erected a monument, which, like that of 
Horace, must outlast the Pyramids. 



64 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

With respect to the externals of Saadi's per- 
son, from some pictures of him in a richly em- 
blazoned copy of his works, now in the library at 
the India-House, and one of the four I men- 
tioned above, his head is represented as bald, 
and illuminated with rays of glory. From dif- 
ferent passages of his Bustan and Gulistan we 
may judge that his stature was low, and habit 
of body spare and slim ; and from a carelessness 
of dress, too common with literary men, a per- 
son naturally compact carried, from its small- 
ness, a mean and perhaps shabby look. (Bust, 
iv. 6.) In order Xo cover such defects with the 
least trouble to himself, he wore over his inner 
garments the Kharcah-moshayakh, or long blue 
gown of the Darwaishes (Grul. iv. 19) ; and 
in the picture adjoining to his tomb Colonel 
Franklin found him represented in this dress 
with a pastoral staff in his hand, another em- 
blem of a pilgrim and hermit. 

Like the Menippian and Varronean satire, of 
which Petronius, Seneca, and Boetius were the 
chief Latin composers, and Colonel Forrester's 
Polite Philosopher is an example in English, the 
Gulistan is written partly in prose and partly 
in poetry. Better than twenty years ago I 
sent to our Asiatic Society at Calcutta an Essay 
on the Coincidences of the Oriental and Euro- 
pean Apologue, the former chiefly extracts of 



OF SHEIK SAADL 65 

Saadi's works, and particularly of the Gulistan. 
To the Apologues of this I give a more epi- 
grammatic form by leaving out the poetry, 
which is in fact only a repetition in most in- 
stances of the sentiment, as expressed before 
in prose. Part of that Essay appears in the 
Asiatic Annual Register, XII. 403, 416 ; part, 
or the whole majlis and fifth sermon, in the 
Bombay Literary Transactions, I. 146, 158 ; and 
part in the Asiatic Journals of April and June, 
1817, April and June, 1818, and December, 
1821. 

The manuscript copies of the Gulistan, used 
throughout the East-India Company's empire 
of Hindustan as a common school-book, three 
of which I have in my possession, are perhaps 
a sixth part larger than what is there called the 
Balaat, or the Calcutta printed text of 1791 ; 
partly in consequence of absurd insertions of 
many corresponding passages of Saadi's other 
works, and partly from foreign interpolations. 

The Rosarium Politieum of Georgius Gen- 
tius, published at Amsterdam, A. D. 1651, with 
a Latin translation, I had in my possession for 
some years ; and found its Persian text agree 
nearer with the Calcutta printed copy than with 
any of the common Bengal manuscripts. A few 
small additions and corrections, which indeed I 
have made in the margin of my own copy of it, 



66 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

would improve it much; and if there should be 
a demand soon for a reprint of this text-book 
as used in the Company's colleges, I am also 
ready to superintend it ; and prevent such fre- 
quent errors as the two last lines of the first 
page, or a fitrat of prose, being mistaken and 
written as poetry; and the second line of the 
next bayit, or couplet, having three feet of its 
text omitted ! The Persianischer Rosenthal of 
Olearius (Schleswic, 1654) I never saw. 

Commentaries and keys of the Gulistan, after 
the plan of our Clavis Homerica, have been 
composed both in Persian and Arabic ; one of 
them, called the Sharahi-Gulistan, I also had 
once in my possession ; and Mr. Gladwin showed 
me one in Arabic : likewise he gave me a man- 
uscript copy of the notes, as numbered for Gen- 
tius's Rosarium, but omitted in .my copy. All 
of them, however, seemed to me equally bald 
and uninteresting. 

Few authors are more original in their com- 
positions, more just in their conception of a 
subject, or more fortunate in their choice of an 
expression, than Saadi: yet he is a mannerist 
sai generis ; not as implying a servile imitation 
of any preceding admired model in Persian, 
but as constantly recurring to a manner of de- 
liverance peculiarly his own. Perhaps Firdausi 
is the only Persian author exempt from this 



OF SHEIK SAADL 67 

charge of either copying others in his characters, 
or of being the mannerist of himself : he has as 
many distinct warriors, for example, as Homer 
and Virgil have put together ; yet his Zal-zar 
and Rostam, Iris Sohrab and Ispindiyar, have 
their appropriate characteristics and epithets, 
and are distinguished from the warriors of all 
other poets, and from, each other : and so it is 
with his females; for no critic would think of 
confounding Rudabah, Tahiminah, the Gord- 
afrid, or Shirin, with each other : and, in ex- 
pressing himself, his favorite mode is either pa- 
thos or sublimity, with an unaffected hardness, 
the special gift of real inspiration ; whereas 
Xizami, whose favorite mode is energy and 
strength, combines withal a brevity and obscu- 
rity, which act as a constant drawback on his 
otherwise vigorous language, and the philosophic 
justness of his reflections ; and Mulowi Manowi, 
whose favorite mode again is enthusiasm and 
rapture, has such a perpetual medley of carnal 
and divine love, and tendency to a reunion with 
the Deity, as resolves everything into Suflsm 
and mystery. On the other hand, Saadi's fa- 
vorite mode is a simplicity and tenderness of 
heart, a delicacy of feeling and judgment, and 
that exquisitely natural vein in which he relates 
his many apologues and parables, with a sort of 
sententious and epigrammatic turn ; where, how- 



68 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

ever, like the Greek epigram, the point is so 
very fine, that, in order that his European 
reader may perceive and feel it, his translator 
must give it some substance, otherwise this 
manner, constituting the very essence of his 

original, shall entirely escape him 

Engaged in such a task, a translator finds 
considerable difficulty in transferring this real 
manner of his author with spirit and fidelity, 
even from one language of Europe into another ; 
and still more from an Oriental language, hav- 
ing the additional obstacles of a change of man- 
ners, customs, laws, and religion to encounter 
by the way. There are two ways of turning 
the sentiments of an author from one language 
into another, namely, translation and imitation ; 
and Pope with ourselves tried both, and, in his 
imitations of Horace's Satires and Epistles, is 
thought to have succeeded ; but as Bentley told 
himself, his translation of Homer, though a very 
pretty poem, can, to a person that does not un- 
derstand the original Greek, give no idea of Ho- 
mer. Cowper says, it is impossible to give in 
rhyme a just translation of any ancient poetry 
of Greece or Rome ; and still less of Arabic 
and Persian : Cowper tried, his hand at Homer 
in blank verse, and was still more unfortunate 
, than Pope. A translation, to succeed, must 
not violate simplicity on the one hand, nor sink 



OF SHEIK SAADL 69 

into lameness on the other; and for this pur- 
pose a prose translation, even of poetry, is pref- 
erable either to rhyme or blank verse. 

But a perfect idea of any author can be 
formed only by understanding him in his origi- 
nal ; and for this purpose all such translations 
and imitations as those of Pope — and we have 
an abundance of them done out of all foreign 
languages into English — are of little or no 
use 

During the sixteenth and seventeenth Chris- 
tian centuries, when, with the view of translating 
the Scriptures, our English doctors turned their 
minds to Oriental learning, many of them became 
proficients in the sister dialects of Hebrew, Sy- 
riac, and Arabic ; but, finding the Persian so 
different from those three in idiom, though other- 
wise much the simpler and easier language, they 
had little or no knowledge of it; accordingly, 
Bishop Walton's first edition of the polyglot 
Scriptures, which he dedicated to Cromwell, has 
no Persian text; the four Ingil, or Evangelists, in 
this dialect having been added afterwards to the 
edition dedicated to Charles the Second. When 
the Great Moghul Acbar, A. D. 1580-90, ap- 
plied to the Pope for a copy of our Scriptures, 
he asked only for the Tawrit, or Pentateuch, 
having already, he said, copies of the Psalms 
and Evangelists in Persian ; and this last was 



70 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

what Bishop Walton or some of his coadjutors 
had got through the Germans. But it is not so 
well known in Europe, that copies of the Zabur, 
or Psalms, were also common at that time in 
the East, in the Pahlowi dialect, in which Ni- 
zami specifically states David to have written 
them ! 

Nor is it generally known among us, that no 
two languages differ more in idiom and words 
than the Persian and Arabic : yet when Persia 
was subdued by the immediate successors of 
Mohammed, they made a special point of for- 
cing their language, as well as religion, upon 
their new subjects ; but after three centuries of 
this unnatural tyranny, on the decline of the 
Khalifat, the Persians, under native princes, 
recovered not the Pahlowi, which had been the 
court dialect during the Sasan dynasty, but the 
Parsi, which had been the dialect of the Kayan 
dynasty, and I fancy all along the current dia- 
lect of Persia : and in the Gulistan, Baharistan, 
Nagaristan, and other popular prose Persian clas- 
sics, the Parsi and Arabic are, as Sir W. Jones 
observes, so blended " that one period often con- 
tains both languages, wholly distinct from each 
other in expression and idiom, but perfectly 
united in sense and construction, not as Roman 
and Saxon words are in this sentence : ' The 
true law is right reason, conformable to the na- 



OF SHEIK SAADL 71 

ture of things, which calls us to the duty by 
commanding, deters us from sin by forbidding ' ; 
but as the Latin and English are in this : ' The 
true lex is recta ratio, conformable naturae, 
which by commanding vocat ad officium, by for- 
bidding d fraude deterreaV " 

And a striking instance of this occurs in Saa- 
di's panegyric of the Prophet in the Preface of 
his Gulistan, the three last lines of the second 
page of the Persian text being a prose medley 
of Persian and Arabic ; the next two lines, at 
the top of the third page, a couplet of pure Ara- 
bic ; the. next two lines a couplet of pure Per- 
sian ; and the next four lines a tetrastic of pure 
Arabic ! 

Every classic scholar admires the address 
with which Virgil introduces his apostrophe of 
" et tu Marcellus eris " ; and this is a happy ex- 
ample of the same figure of rhetoric. Indeed, 
his commencement of this graceful Preface with 
a thanksgiving to the Deity, this praise of his 
Prophet, his panegyric of the King, his enco- 
mium on the heir-apparent, and eulogy of the 
prime-minister, are all felicitous instances of that 
manner which I have noted as characteristic 
of Saadi in his Persian and Arabian composi- 
tions. 

The chief difficulty in translating any such 
Arabian quotation is its being in common a text 



72 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

of the Koran, or a tradition of the Prophet, 
which though ready in the memory of a pious 
Mohammedan gentleman, — and however much 
our flippant travellers, and even learned doctors, 
choose to declaim on his ignorance, a believer 
in the Koran can applicably quote it as the rec- 
ord of his law and the guide of his morals, — 
yet, to a translator like myself, such a passage 
is often obscure even when complete, and still 
more so when only a portion of it is thus no- 
ticed ; as, for example, in the Gulistan, i. 1, 
where the well-disposed Vizier says, " such as 
are restraining their anger, and forgiving their 
fellow -creatures : and Grod ivill befriend the be- 
nevolent" — without using the explanatory pre- 
liminary of " Paradise is for such as are" — 
which I am, I fancy, the first who has correctly 
supplied by a reference to the whole in the Ko- 
ran ; and there we see a striking imitation of 
Matthew v. 3 — 11, where are enumerated the 
successive orders of good doers, for whom para- 
dise is designed, as their ultimate and blessed 
place of residence. 

And another constant source of trouble to 
a translator is the ambiguity of the Arabian 
moods and tenses ; for not only the same tense, 
for example, answers for the present and future, 
but he is often obliged to give the preterite 
tense a present signification, — and, if he had its 



OF SHEIK SAADL 73 

immediate context, this might be managed, — but 
with such fragments of sentences as that I have 
quoted, if I am obliged to adapt the Arabian 
quotation to the Persian context, the scholar, 
who is capable of detecting this, will I doubt 
not be also liberal enough in overlooking, or ad- 
mitting the necessity of it. 

What our travellers and doctors thus assert 
of Mussulmans considering Marafat, or the di- 
vinity of the Koran, as comprehending all neces- 
sary knowledge, might have been true, as far as 
respected Mohammed himself, and his four im- 
mediate successors, as residents at Madainah; 
for we can all recollect the Khalif Omar's reply, 
when Amru, the conqueror of Egypt, asked 
him what was to be done with the library at 
Alexandria. He answered, " What is con- 
tained in these books you mention is either 
agreeable to what is written in the Koran, or 
book of God, or it is not ; if it be, then the 
Koran is sufficient without them ; if otherwise, 
it is fit they should be destroyed. " But on 
the establishment, of the Khalifat at Damascus, 
and still more of the Abassi dynasty at Bagh- 
dad, the Tazi, or modem Arabic, was gradually 
enriched with words, so as to admit of its tech- 
nically expressing the terms of the arts and 
sciences, which a Harun Rashid had translated 
into it from the Persian, Coptic, and Greek ; 

4 



74 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

and modern Europe owes chief part of what it 
derived from the first two, and even more of its 
Greek knowledge, to translations through the 
Arabic, than immediately from the originals of 
them, or the Greek. 

Whereas the more ancient Greeks, as, for 
instance, Hippocrates in physic, we now find, 
copied their knowledge direct from the Per- 
sians; for all his medicines have pure Persian 
names: and down to the times of Galen and 
Dioscorides, those Greeks and their copyists, 
the Romans, were content with simples, which 
are hence called Galenicals. Kimiya, signi- 
fying art , trick, imposture^ chemistry, &c, is 
also a pure Persian word, which the Arabs 
borrowed with the art from the Persians ; and 
the manufacture and use of chemical medicines 
and drugs, as applied to physic and the other 
arts, modern Europeans owe immediately to 
the Arabs. Nay, the chemical preparations of 
quicksilver, now found so serviceable in all vis- 
ceral obstructions, were first adopted into Euro- 
pean practice, within my recollection, by Dr. 
Peasely, of Madras, in the case of Lord Pigot ; 
and, as a simple, meadow-saffron root has been 
used lately and successfully for the gout ; and 
I could mention a dozen other articles, each of 
the most active and best medicines, either for in- 
ternal or external use, that have of late been in- 



OF SHEIK SAADL 75 

troduced into our physical and surgical practice 
from that of the Hakims and Cub-rajes of our 
English empire in the East. 

In the writings of Michael Servetus, who 
lived a century before Harvey, there is a hint 
respecting his curious discovery of the circu- 
lation of the blood; but the following distich 
of Saadi's Bustan, viii. 3, contains one more 
pertinent : " The venal system of thy body, O 
well-disposed man ! is a meadow, through which 
are flowing three hundred and sixty rivulets." 
And the two distichs, Bustan, viii. 14, contain 
our most correct, and what we fancied modern, 
theory of respiration and digestion: "Were not 
the fresh air to pass by respiration into the lungs, 
the intestine heat would throw the body into a 
ferment ; and did not the pot of the stomach 
duly concoct the food, the fair and plump form 
of the body would get shrunk and withered." 
The Persian word Khun, or blood, has also the 
idiomatic signification of the sold and life, as 
existing in the blood: did the ingenious John 
Hunter borrow his idea of the life of the blood 
from this ? 

On the subject of aerostatics, I offer the fol- 
lowing curious extract of my copy of the Per- 
sian dictionary, the Farhangi Jihangiri, the 
manuscript being itself upwards of one hundred 
and fifty years old : it is in explanation of the 



76 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

compound idiomatic word " Tasht-wo-Khayah, 
the basin and egg, or the exhibition of filling the 
membranous coat of an animal's testicle with 
Shobnim, or night-dew ; and, after tying up the 
vent, placing it on a brass vessel heated in the 
sun, or over the fire ; and, as the air within it 
gets warm, the vapor will rarefy and expand 
it; when, raising itself on one end, it will hop 
up and down for a while, as if dancing, and at 
last mount into the air, and fly out of sight." 
I remember the late Doctor Black, in his chem- 
ical lectures at Edinburgh, 1777 — 78, when on 
the subject of factitious air, suggesting this pre- 
cise experiment; but the French, some years 
afterwards, had the credit of putting it in prac- 
tice on the large scale of balloons. Also, Saadi 
alludes to this same phenomenon in his Bustan, 
iv. 14 : " Why should that befall you which be- 
falls the fierce-burning torch, — that you should 
fly from yourself, as the bubble flies up from 
the water?" 

Likewise, in the Farhangi Jihangiri, in its 
idiomatic sense, the Fanus-khiyat, another sup- 
posed modern invention, is mentioned ; namely, 
"a w^'e-lantern, with which they show off 
images and figures, and with a sort of phospho- 
rus, or artificial fire, give them the appearance 
of being in a flame " ; and a couplet of the 
Persian poet Ghazali is quoted, signifying as 



OF SHEIK SAADL 77 

follows : " The celestial sky is a magic-lantern ; 
and this globe is on its progress moving through 
it, while mankind are wandering over the globe, 
like the figures of a magic-lantern." 

And would not the bulk exceed all reason- 
able bounds, I could quote many such sound, 
and what we hi Europe consider as modern, 
hints of philosophy immediately from Saadi. 

The detailed minutise of the arts and sciences 
are lost in the changes and translations of lan- 
guages, and in such revolutions of government 
as Persia has been specially subject to ; yet its 
remaining monuments are sufficient to prove, to 
the latest posterity of Adam, the originality and 
superiority of Persian knowledge ; and the value 
in this sense of such books as the Gulistan, in 
which glimpses remain of that knowledge. 

Of the sublime and stupendous, we have in 
Europe no monuments of human structure that 
can compare with the Chihl-minar, or palace of 
many columns, at Istikhar, the Persepolis of 
the Greeks ; the statues of Khosraw and Shirin, 
and other massy works of the statuary Farhad 
at Bisitun, in Irac Ajem ; the still more ancient 
images of the Sorkh-bot and Khing-bot, so 
called from being one of a red and the other 
of a gray colored stone, and said to be each 
fifty-two gaz, or yards, high, and believed by 
the Persians to represent their first King Gayu- 



78 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

mars, and his wife, at Bamiyan, near the city 
of Balkh, and in that part of Cabul bordering 
on Badakhshan ; and the many sculptures and 
excavations in the contiguous rocks and moun- 
tains ; the tower of Babel ; the aqueducts of 
the Tigris and Euphrates ; the wall of the Dar- 
band, supposed to be built by Alexander, and 
repaired by Nushirowan : but above all in that 
mode of subterraneous irrigation peculiar to Per- 
sia, and managed most ingeniously by sinking 
Karezes, or shafts, and connecting these with 
Mings, or underground canals, where springs 
are found at the foot of mountains, and extend- 
ing for fifty or sixty miles over the contiguous 
champagne country. 

In mechanism the- ancient Persians no doubt 
excelled us : for even now we are at a loss to 
explain how such massy buildings were reared, 
otherwise than like our forefathers, when they 
first discovered many of them during the dark 
ages, and ascribed them to Kimiya, or magic. 
In the modern and more comparative architect- 
ure of the East, I would refer to the mauso- 
leum of Taj -Mahal, the favorite Sultana of the 
great Moghul Shah Jihan, at Agra, a building 
equal in extent to Saint Paul's, London, includ- 
ing the church-yard; and the meanest material 
which enters its composition is the purest white 
marble. Had that magnificent sovereign con- 



OF SHEIK SAADL 79 

eluded his reign in peace, he had projected a 
similar one for himself on the opposite side of 
that noble river the Jumna; and to unite the 
two with a bridge of the same valuable mate- 
rials : 

" Her bed is India ; there she lies — a pearl." 

But the last seven years of his life he was, by 
that hypocrite Aurangzib, his son, doomed to 
pass in honorary confinement ; and having, in 
1803, visited the apartments he in that durance 
occupied in the palace at Agra, I had some of 
the plaster chipped off, and found the walls 
richly gilded ; for, as . his nienioirs tell us, he 
had them done over with common mortar, as 
more suitable to his humbled condition. The 
centre dome had some years before been injured 
by a cannon-ball ; and a peepil tree, one of the 
most destructive for such buildings, was grow- 
ing out of it ; but Marquis Hastings has, with 
much taste, and at a great expense, had it since 
repaired ; and it is now as fresh as the day, one 
hundred and eighty years ago, it was built. 
Also, the Jamai Masjid, at Delhi, is another 
specimen of the many elegant and modern Ori- 
ental structures which, even in the present de- 
generacy of the arts, rival any buildings of 
modern, and pernaps ancient Europe, wheth- 
er we regard the symmetry of the parts, or 
sublimity of the whole. Recent from viewing 



80 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

those, before I took my last passage to Europe, 
I had an opportunity of comparing the Gover- 
nor-General's palace at Calcutta, then finished, 
at an enormous expense, by Marquis Wellesley ; 
which, notwithstanding its marble hall and other 
pompous apartments, I found a heavy and clum- 
sy mass of brick and mortar ! 

In their taste for gardening, specimens of 
which often occur in the beautiful descriptions 
of their poets, the Persians much excelled us. 
Milton, who travelled over the East in books, 
and had a judgment which qualified what he 
read, availed himself of those descriptions in 
laying out his Paradise ; and Addison gave the 
English nation a taste for Milton, nature, and 
good gardening, which modern Europe has since 
been endeavoring to copy. 

The Persians have a saying, that it was as 
absurd for a person ignorant of geography to 
write history, or for a person ignorant of alge- 
bra to write upon astronomy, as for one igno- 
rant of grammar to write poetry. In moral 
philosophy they excel, and particularly in what 
we -call polite literature ; no bad specimens of 
which are the two works of Saadi which I 
have undertaken to translate, namely, the Gu- 
listan and Bustan, and Pilpay's Fables, which 
are ready to follow. And as I have said, in 
this favorite department of literature we have 



OF SHEIK SAADL 81 

frequent glimpses of their skill in the more ab- 
struse branches of natural and experimental 
philosophy, of mathematics, algebra, decimal 
notation, and ciphering in arithmetic, of whose 
characters the ancient Persians were no doubt 
the inventors; of the phenomena of light and 
colors; of electricity, of which they specify 
many facts besides the attractive power of am- 
ber, as it is detailed by our European ancients ; 
of printing ; of gunpowder and fire-works (the 
last is noticed by Saadi, Gul. vii. 14) ; of gems, 
of which they give the most rational classifica- 
tion we yet have, and detail some particulars 
in their composition of which Sir H. Davy has 
lately availed himself; and of their treatise on 
this last we have lately recovered a copy ; — 
and however vague their hints may seem at 
knowledge which we have not yet attained, we 
are from time to time obliged to give them 
credit for things that once appeared incredible, 
and which they certainly derived from sources 
still more ancient than themselves, and perhaps 
antediluvian. It is curious that what happened 
to the Israelites, in their conquest of the Holy 
Land, and the idolatrous nations they dispos- 
sessed of it, also happened to the Persians 
under Gayumars, when they descended from 
the Kordistan mountains, and dispossessed the 

Dives of Persia ; and Firdausi tells us that 
4# f 



82 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

those Dives taught the arts to their conquerors : 
but what is still more curious, the Brahmins of 
India admit themselves to be those Dives, and 
that they came into India from Persia. 

Among the smaller articles of Persian taste I 
would mention three in particular : — 1st. The 
wool, or rather hair, of a species of goat found 
in many parts of Persia, as well as in Thibet, 
from which they have, from time immemorial, 
manufactured that beautiful fabric, the shawl, 
and to which our best staple broadcloth is so 
much inferior. 2d. The murrhine vase, so high- 
ly esteemed by Pliny (Nat. Hist, xxxvii. 2), 
and which, as he correctly supposes it to be, is 
also the produce of Persia ; and what is called 
with us the Portland vase is a specimen of it ; 
and of this the late ingenious porcelain ware- 
man, Mr. Wedgewood, energetically remarked, 
" that the composition of it implied a knowledge 
of chemistry of which modern Europe had not 
yet reached the elements." Indeed, our boast- 
ed chemical improvements can neither produce 
the materials of those sculptured and colored 
vases, cups, gems, and rings, now collected by 
our curious travellers in Persia ; nor supply any 
instruments of a sufficiently hard temper to cut 
and carve them. 3d. The Sohaili, or what 
Europeans call Morocco leather, which forms 
the binding of most of the old Persian manu- 



OF SHEIK SAADL S3 

scripts, and has a fragrance and quality in it 
that preserves them from being destroyed by in- 
sects. This is a distinct article from the Kai- 
makht, another preparation of the hides of 
animals made in Persia into a sort of shagreen, 
and used for the handles of swords, dirks, &c. 
To prove that all those three articles are indige- 
nous to Persia, in the Persian dictionaries they 
have each perhaps a dozen of names, all of them 
pure Persian words. 

And besides them I may mention the glossy 
smoothness of the Yizd silks, the delicacy of 
the fabric of cotton into Tuz muslin, and flax 
into Tattah cambric ; their embroidery on satin, 
leather, and other stuffs, at Ispahan ; their glass 
of Shiraz, or cutlery of that place, and of Kho- 
rasan ; their Nishampur filigree of gold and 
silver ; their penmanship of manuscripts ; the 
animalisism at Hirat of colored silk and cotton 
stuffs ; the carpets of that city ; the richness of 
their dyes ; and the freshness and durability of 
their paints, a bright and beautiful azure speci- 
men of which I have often admired, while, in 
1803, ascending into the fort of Gwalior, where 
it has remained on the face of the palace for 
centuries, exposed to the open air. 

Persian horsemanship and archery have been 
proverbial from time immemorial; and the breed 
of horses, camels, asses, mules, sheep, and other 



84 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

domestic animals, are superior to any other. 
Saadi, in his Bustan (i. 1), says he met a person 
riding on a lion, and using a snake as a whip ! 
But, seriously, who ever thought of taming 
elephants, rhinoceroses, lions, tigers, and ser- 
pents, but the patient and ingenious Asiatic ? 

But the best use of education is that of in- 
structing a fellow-being, which gives dignity to 
the creature, and enables him properly to know 
and respect his Creator. And what is more 
simple than that useful system of educating the 
poor, which Dr. Bell had the credit of adopting 
from the Asiatics, and applying to the European 
charity schools at Madras; and Mr. Lancaster 
of bringing into practice for the cheap and easy 
instruction of the illiterate of all denominations 
in England ; and since that, very generally over 
the continent of Europe. See Gulistan, vii. 
passim. 

These are a few of many positive facts which 
readily suggest themselves to any Oriental schol- 
ar ; and which I, who passed twenty of the 
most precious years of my life in India, and in 
familiar and daily intercourse with all descrip- 
tions of natives, and am well read in their 
books, set in opposition to the trifling remarks 
of idle sojourners, and the dogmatical censures 
of some superficial travellers, who have lately 
visited the East, and have presumed to disgorge 



OF SHEIK SAADL 85 

their ill-digested opinions upon the European 
world, without possessing either language or 
intuition to instruct it in the history and an- 
tiquities, in the laws, manners, customs, and 
religions, or in the literature and arts, of past 
or present Asia. 

Mankind, emerging from barbarity, fall into 
some regularity of government; and, getting 
ashamed of their ignorance, feel desirous of lit- 
erary information, and improvement hi the arts; 
but, before they reach any superior excellence, 
they too often exchange the elegance of nature 
for the gorgeousness of art. Nor could Persia, 
in its many revolutions, escape such transitions ; 
but though it suffered temporary eclipses from 
the barbarity and envy of such conquerors as 
Zohhac, Afrasiyab, Alexander, Omar, Jingiz 
Khan, Timur, Nadir Shah, and Mohammed 
Aga, yet the basis was so broad, that the 
column of true taste has never been totally 
overthrown; and has, during such reigns of 
barbarity, stood, amidst a waste of apathy, a 
monument of what had been magnificent, and 
served as a copy for the native dynasties of a 
Firedown, Kai-cobad, Ardishir Babigan, Saboc- 
tagin, Alap Arselan, the Atabaks of Syria and 
Faristan, a Shah Abbas, Acbar, and Shah Ji- 
han, and a Karini Khan, and Fatah- Ali-Shah- 
shahan, to patronize and imitate. 



86 THE LIFE AND GENIUS 

We should recollect that the Persian is not 
only the sole language of the many and exten- 
sive provinces of Persia, but the medium of of- 
ficial and polite intercourse of the rich and 
populous regions of Hindustan, Turkey, and 
the wide domains of Tartary. 

Versed as many Oriental scholars among our- 
selves now are in the literature and poetry of 
Persia, and some of them inclined like myself 
to communicate their knowledge, we cannot but 
lament that obstinacy in our English critics of 
taking every direct and collateral occasion of 
peremptorily degrading its language, as that only 
of conceit and false thoughts, and of rating us as 
admirers of tinsel instead of gold. In charity 
to their knowledge and their judgment, we must 
conclude, that they speak rather of Jami and 
his imitators, than the host of Persian poets, 
who adorned the long period of five hundred 
years previous to his time. If Athens had its 
Periclesan, and Rome its Augustan, Persia also 
had its classic age, not terminating in a solitary 
or short reign, nor confined to the narrow limits 
of one city or province, but extending to ten 
ages, and embracing places within herself a 
thousand miles apart. 

The taste, words, and style of the language 
of every polished nation must suffer in the vicis- 
situdes of time and fortune, and bad poetry will 



OF SHEIK SAADL 87 

be engendered ; but is Persia alone to be called 
to so rigid an account for the extravagance and 
folly of the dregs of her poets ? Nay, I will ad- 
mit that examples of hyperbole may be quoted 
from the pages of Firdausi, Nizami, Jabali, Kha- 
cani, Jilal-u'd-din Rumi, and Saadi ; but if thus 
nice in marking every deviation from propriety 
of sentiment and metaphor, what would become 
of Shakespeare and Milton among ourselves, of 
Dante and Ariosto with the Italians, or perhaps 
of even Homer and Virgil ? 

A company of British merchants have estab- 
lished an empire of the finest provinces of Asia, 
nearly equal in population and extent to all Eu- 
rope, where Persian is the language of law, re- 
ligion, commerce, and in fact of all civilized 
usages; and, instead of falsifying and abusing 
this language, our duty, as well as interest, as 
Englishmen, point out the justice of righting 
and supporting it: and let our scholars, now 
brought up to a classical knowledge of it, at the 
East-India company's colleges, endeavor to weed 
what they will find the current language of 
Hindustan of its vicious metaphors, immoderate 
hyperboles, silly conceits, prettinesses, bombast, 
and idle verbiage of the last three centuries, or 
since A. D. 1450 ; and restore it to the sublime 
and pathetic imagery and the just diction of its 
golden age, from Dakiki and Rodaki, A. D. 950, 



88 LIFE AND GENIUS OF SAADI. 

to Jami and Hatifa; and rescue it from being 
mangled by men learned and respectable in their 
knowledge of Greek and Latin, but vulgar and 
illiberal in their ignorance and prejudices in 
whatever respects the languages and literature 
of the East, and in particular of this scientific, 
diplomatic, financial, legislative, and commercial 
dialect of a hundred millions of our fellow- 
subjects ! 

January 1, 1823. 




r THE GULISTAN 



MUSLE-HUDDEEN SHEIK SAADI, 



OF SHIRAZ. 



TRANSLATED BY 



FRANCIS GLADWIN. 



^SWsC^ 



To THE MOST NOBLE 

MARQUIS WELLESLEY, K. P., &c, &c, &c, 

the illustrious patron of Oriental Literature, this edition of 
The Gulistan of Saadi, completed during his Lordship's glo- 
rious administration of British India, is humbly dedicated by 
his Lordship's most faithful and devoted servant, 

FRANCIS GLADWIN. 

Patna, Jan. 12, 1806. 



PREFACE 

TO THE GULISTAN OF MUSLE-HUDDEEN SHEIK 
SAADI, OF SHIRAZ. 




In the Name of the most merciful Grod. 

? RAISE to the God of majesty and 
glory, whose service is the means 
of approach ! and to offer him grate- 
ful acknowledgments insures an in- 
crease of bounty. Every breath when inhaled 
sustaineth life, and when respired it exhilar- 
ates the body; consequently every breathing 
includes two benefits, each of which demand- 
eth a distinct acknowledgment. What hand or 
tongue can fulfil his praise ? Sing praises, ye 
posterity of David, for few of my servants are 
grateful. It is best for the servant to confess 
his weakness, and implore forgiveness at the 
court of Heaven, since no one is able to fulfil 
his duty towards God. The rain of his infinite 
mercy refresheth all places ; and the table of his 



94 THE GULISTAN. 

bounty is spread far and near. Amidst the 
enormous sins of his servants, he rendeth not 
the veil of their reputation ; and during the 
commission of atrocious offences, ceaseth not to 
bestow their daily bread. 

O merciful God, who out of thine hidden 
treasures affordest daily sustenance to the Gue- 
bre and the infidel, how canst thou exclude thy 
friends, thou who deignest thus favorably to 
regard thine enemies? He commandeth his 
chamberlain, the zephyr, to spread the emerald 
carpet, and ordereth the vernal clouds to foster 
the infant plants in the cradle of the earth. 
He clotheth the bodies of the trees with verdant 
foliage, the festal garments of spring, and, in 
celebration of the return of that season, crown- 
eth the youthful branches with garlands of blos- 
soms. By his power, the juice of the caaie is 
converted into delicious honey ; and by his dis- 
cipline, the kernel of the date becometh a lofty 
tree. Clouds and wind, the moon, the sun, and 
the sky are all busied, that thou, O man, 
may est obtain thy bread, and eat it not in 
neglect. For thy sake, all these revolve and 
are obedient : it is not therefore consistent with 
the rules of justice that thou only shouldest 
not obey. There is a tradition of the chief of 
created beings, the most noble of existences, 
the mercy of the universe, the purest of man- 



PREFACE. 95 

kind, and completion of the revolution of ages, 
Mohammed Mustafa, (upon whom be blessing 
and peace !) the intercessor, the obeyed, the 
gracious prophet, the bountiful, the majestic, 
the affable, the sealed. Why should the wall 
of the faithful suffer anxiety, which has such a 
supporter? "Why should he dread the waves 
of the sea, who hath Noah for his pilot ? His 
perfections procured him exaltation, his come- 
liness dispelled the darkness ; liberal are all his 
endowments ; blessing be on him and on his 
race ! The tradition is this : That when a 
sinful servant, conscious of his guiltiness, lifteth 
up the hands of repentance, in hopes of obtain- 
ing pardon at the court of the just, the glorious 
and sublime Being, the Almighty regardeth him 
not : again he supplicates, and is again disre- 
garded: once more he prayeth with humility 
and sorrow, and then the just God saith, " O 
my angels, of a truth I am ashamed on behalf 
of my servant, who hath no other Providence 
than myself, and therefore verily do I pardon 
him. I have heard his prayer, and have grant- 
ed his petition ; because I am ashamed of the 
excessive supplication and sorrow of my ser- 
vant." 

Behold the mercy and kindness of God : he 
is himself ashamed that his servant hath sinned ! 
Those who constantly reside at the temple of 



96 THE GULISTAN. 

his glory confess the insufficiency of their wor- 
ship, saying, " We have not worshipped thee in 
the manner that thou oughtest to be served." 
And they who would describe the form of his 
beauty are rapt in amazement, declaring, " We 
have not known thee as thou oughtest to be 
known." If any one should require me to de- 
scribe him, how shall the disheartened describe 
that which hath no form ? The lovers are slain 
by the beloved, and no voice proceedeth from 
the dead. A devout man in deep contempla- 
tion, with his head reclined on the bosom of 
meditation, was immersed in the ocean of vision. 
When he recovered from that state, one of his 
companions, by way of pleasantry, said, " What 
miraculous present have you brought us from 
this garden, which you have been visiting?" 
He answered, " It was my intention, that, when 
I reached the rose-bush, I would fill my lap with 
flowers, for presents to my friends ; but when I 
came to the spot, the odor so overpowered my 
senses, that my skirt dropped out of my hands." 
O bird of the desert, learn thou love of the 
moth, who, being burnt, expireth without a sigh. 
They who pretend to be informed are ignorant, 
for they who have known him have not yet re- 
covered their senses. O, thou art beyond the 
reach of imagination, conjecture, or thought; 
surpassing all that has been related, and excel- 



PREFACE. 97 

ling everything that I have heard or read. The 
banquet is concluded, and the period of life is 
arrived. I continue describing thee the same 
as at the commencement. 

The Virtues of the Monarch of Islamisrn, may 
Q-od perpetuate his Reign ! 

The favorable mention of Saadi which has 
fallen from the mouths of people in general, 
and the fame of his sayings, that has spread over 
the whole surface of the globe, so that the 
words of his friendly pen are eaten like sugar ; 
and the value given to his scraps of writings, 
insomuch that they pass current like bills of ex- 
change ; — all this cannot be ascribed to the 
perfection of his own merit and eloquence, but 
is owing to the monarch of the earth, who is the 
axis of the revolution of time, the representa- 
tive of Solomon, the defender of the faithful, 
the mighty king of kings, the illustrious Atabuk 
Mozuffaruddeen Aboobukr, the son of Sad, the 
son of Zungy, the shadow of God on earth ; ap- 
prove him, O Lord, and grant his desires ! He 
regarded me with the eye of kindness, loaded 
me with commendation, and showed a sincere 
attachment ; and therefore, for his sake, persons 
of all descriptions have taken a fancy to me : 
for mankind readily adopt the sentiments of 



98 THE GULISTAN. 

their king. From the time that you have 
looked kindly on my humble state, my merits 
are more manifest than the sun. If your ser- 
vant was made up of defects, every fault that the 
Sultan might commend would be construed into 
an excellence. One day in the bath a piece of 
perfumed clay came to me from the hand of a 
friend ; I said to it, " Art thou musk, or an arti- 
ficial compound of sweets? for I am charmed 
with thy delightful odor." It answered, " I 
was a worthless piece of clay, but having for a 
season associated with the rose, the virtue of my 
companion was communicated to me ; otherwise 
I am the same identical earth that I was at 
first." O God ! bestow happiness on the Mos- 
lems by a long continuance of his life ; increase 
the reward of his virtues and perfections ; exalt 
the dignity of his friends and of his governors ; 
and send destruction on his avowed and secret 
foes, for the sake of those sayings recorded in 
the verses of the Koran. O Lord ! protect his 
kingdom, and be thou the guardian of his son ! 
Of a truth the world enjoys happiness through 
his means ; may his own good fortune be perpet- 
ual, and may God befriend him with the stand- 
ard of victory: in such wise may the branch 
also flourish of which the king is the root ; since 
the goodly produce of the soil dependeth on the 
excellency of the seed. May the most mighty 



PREFACE. 99 

and holy God preserve the land of Shiraz in 
perfect peace until the day of resurrection, 
through dread of the justice of its governors, 
and by the blessings entailed on those who act 
conformably to wisdom ! Know you not why I 
delayed some time abroad on my travels ? I 
departed out of. dread of the Turks; for I be- 
held the country in disorder, like the hair of 
an Ethiopian. Their form was human ; but 
like wolves their claws were reeking in blood. 
Within the city were men with minds virtuous 
as angels, and without was an army of warlike 
lions. On my return I found the land at peace ; 
the tigers having forsaken their savage disposi- 
tions. Thus at first I beheld the world full of 
tumult, sorrow, and strife, and it has changed 
to its present happy state in the reign of the just 
monarch Atabuk Aboobukr Ben Sad Zungy. 
The land of Persia is in no danger of suffering 
distress so long as it is governed by one like 
thyself, who art the shadow of God. At this 
day, no one can point out on the surface of the 
earth an asylum of comfort like the threshold 
of thy gate. It is thy duty to support the help- 
less, and it behooveth us to offer up grateful ac- 
knowledgments, whilst the reward is with God, 
the Creator of the universe. O God, preserve 
the land of Persia from the storms of strife, 
as long as the earth and the air shall endure. 



100 THE GULISTAN. 

The Cause of writing the Gculistan. 

One night I was reflecting on the time which 
had elapsed, and lamenting that so much of my 
life was spent ; I pierced the stony mansion of 
my heart with adamantine tears, and repeated 
the following lines as applicable to my condi- 
tion : — 

In every moment of thy life a breath is ex- 
pended, so that what remaineth is but of small 
account. Alas ! thou hast spent fifty years in 
sleep, excepting these five days that thou hast 
been awakened to reflection. Shame on that 
man who departed without finishing his work ; 
who, when the drum was beaten for marching, 
had not made up his burden. Sweet sleep on. 
the day of marching withholds the traveller 
from his way. Every one who came erected a 
new fabric ; he departed and evacuated the ten- 
ement for another to enter; and this, # in like 
manner, formed new schemes : but no one ever 
finished the building. Place no reliance on an 
unsteady friend : the liar deserveth not belief. 
Since both the good and the bad must die, hap- 
py is that man who carries off the ball of vir- 
tue.* Send to your own tomb the provisions for 
the journey ; no one will bring them after you, 
therefore despatch them before your departure. 

* Alluding to the game of Chowgong, or the Mall. 



PREFACE. - 101 

Life is snow, and the summer sun advanceth : 
only a small part remaineth unmelted ; art thou 
yet slothful ? You who have gone empty-hand- 
ed to market, I fear will not return with a full 
napkin. Whosoever eateth his wheat before it 
is ripe, must glean ears of corn at the time of 
harvest. Listen attentively to the admonition 
of Saadi : the road is such as I have described 
it ; be of good cheer, and proceed on your 
journey. After deliberating on the subject, it 
appeared to me advisable that I should make 
choice of retirement, and, withdrawing myself 
from society, erase from the tablet of. my mem- 
ory all vain words, and refrain from conversa- 
tion. 

One deprived of the faculty of speech, who 
sitteth in a corner deaf and dumb, is prefera- 
ble to him who cannot govern his tongue. At 
length one of my friends, the intimate and fa- 
miliar partner of my travels, and companion of 
my cell, entered the door, and accosted me after 
his usual manner; but in return for all his 
pleasantry and mirth, and inclination to familiar 
intercourse, I gave no answer, nor raised up my 
head from the knees of adoration. He looked 
displeased, and said, " Whilst you have the 
power of utterance, speak, O my brother, with 
favor and kindness, for to-morrow, when the 
messenger of fate arriveth, you will through 



102 THE GULISTAN. 

necessity be silent." One of my comrades in- 
formed him how matters stood, saying, " Such 
an one hath positively resolved to spend the re- 
mainder of his life in devotion, and to observe 
silence ; follow his example, if you are able, 
and keep him company." He replied, " I swear 
by the great God, and by our long uninterrupt- 
ed friendship, that I will neither breathe nor 
stir a step until he hath answered with his ac- 
customed freedom; for it is folly to distress 
our friends, when an inconsiderate oath can be 
easily expiated. It is contrary to justice, and 
opposite to the sentiments of the wise, that the 
sword of Ali should remain in the scabbard, 
or that the tongue of Saadi should cleave to the 
roof of the mouth. To what shall be likened 
the tongue in a man's mouth ? It is the key of 
the treasury of wisdom : when the door is shut, 
who can discover whether he deals in jewels or 
in small ware ? Although, in the estimation of 
the wise, silence is commendable, yet at a prop- 
er season free speech is preferable. Two things 
indicate an obscure understanding, — to be silent 
when we ought to converse, and to speak when 
we should be silent." To be brief, I was not 
able to restrain my tongue from speaking to 
him : I thought it inhuman to turn my face 
from him, because he was an agreeable and sin- 
cere friend. When you determine to fight, be 



PREFACE. 103 

sure either that you are stronger than your ad- 
versary, or that you have a swifter pair of heels. 
Thus through necessity I spoke ; and went 
abroad in good humor. It was the season of 
spring; the air was temperate, and the rose in 
full bloom. The vestments of the trees resem- 
bled the festive garments of the fortunate. It 
was mid-spring, when the nightingales were 
chanting from the pulpits of the branches ; the 
rose decked with pearly dew, like blushes on 
the cheek of a chiding mistress. It happened 
once, that I was benighted in a garden, in com- 
pany with one of my friends. The spot was de- 
lightful, the trees intertwined ; you would have 
said that the earth was bedecked with glass 
spangles, and that the knot of the Pleiades was 
suspended from the branch of the vine. A 
garden with a running stream, and trees from 
whence birds were warbling melodious strains : 
that filled with tulips of various hues ; these 
loaded with fruits of several kinds. Under the 
shade of its trees the zephyr had spread the va- 
riegated carpet. In the morning, when the de- 
sire to return home overcame our inclination for 
remaining, I saw in his lap a collection of roses, 
odoriferous herbs, and hyacinths, which he had 
intended to carry to town. I said, " You are 
not ignorant that the flower of the garden soon 
fkdeth, and that the enjoyment of the rose-bush 



104 THE GULISTAN. 

is but of a short continuance ; and the sages 
have declared, that the heart ought not to be set 
upon anything that is transitory." He asked, 
" What course is then to be pursued ? " I re- 
plied, " I am able to form a book of roses, 
which will delight the beholders, and gratify 
those who are present ; whose leaves the tyran- 
nic arm of the autumnal blasts can never affect, 
nor injure the blossoms of its spring. What 
benefit will you derive from a basket of flowers ? 
Carry a leaf from my garden : a rose may con- 
tinue in bloom for five or six days ; but this rose- 
garden will flourish forever." As soon as I had 
uttered these words, he flung the flowers from 
his lap, and, laying hold on the skirt of my gar- 
ment, exclaimed, "When the beneficent prom- 
ise, they faithfully discharge their engagements." 
In the course of a few days, two chapters (one 
on the comforts of society, and the other con- 
taining rules for conversation *) were written 
out in my note-book, in a style that may be 
useful to orators, and improve the skill of letter- 
writers. In short, whilst the rose was yet in 
bloom, the book entitled the Rose Garden was 
finished : but it will be truly perfected on gain- 
ing a favorable reception at court, and when it 
obtains an indulgent perusal from that prince 
who is the asylum of the world, the shadow of 
* The 7th and 8th chapters. Suroory. 



PREFACE. 105 

the Most High, the ray of providential benefi- 
cence, the treasury of the age, the refuge of 
religion, the favorite of Heaven, the mighty arm 
of the victorious empire, the lamp of the re- 
splendent religion, the most splendid of man- 
kind, the aggrandizer of the faith, Sad, son 
of Atabuk the great ; that potent monarch to 
whom nations bend the neck : lord paramount 
of the kin o;s of Arabia and Persia : sovereign of 
land and sea ; inheritor of the throne of Solo- 
mon, Mozuffuruddeen, may God perpetuate the 
good fortune of both, and prosper all their 
righteous undertakings ! If ornamented with 
the sovereign's approbation, it is a gallery of 
China paintings, and the designs of Urzung.* 
I trust that he will not look dissatisfied, since 
the rose-garden is not a fit place for displeasure ; 
and more especially as its fortunate Preface is 
inscribed to Sad Aboobukr Ben Zungy. 

Celebration of the great Ameer, the Fortunate 
Fukrruddeen, Aboobukr Ben Aboo Xusr. 

Oxce more the bride of my imagination, 
conscious of her want of beauty, raiseth not her 
head, but in a desponding mood modestly looks 
down upon her feet, not venturing to make her 
appearance in the assembly of beautiful youths, 

* The paintings of the impostor Mani. 
5* 



106 THE GU LI ST AN. 

unless she be decked with the jewels of appro- 
bation from the great Ameer, who is learned 
and just, assisted by Heaven, the conqueror of 
his enemies, the support of the throne of em- 
pire, counsellor of the state, the asylum of the 
indigent, and refuge of the stranger, the patron 
of the learned, and friend of men of piety, the 
glory of the Persian race, and strength of the 
arm of empire ; of royal endowments, the glory 
of the state and of religion, the succor of the 
faith and of the faithful, the confidant of kings 
and emperors, Aboobukr Ben Aboo Nusr, may 
God prolong his life, increase his dignity, en- 
lighten his breast, and augment his reward ! for 
he is celebrated amongst all the nobles of the 
earth, and is the confluence of laudable actions. 
Whosoever enjoyeth the shadow of his kindness 
nis sin is pardoned, and his enemy becometh his 
friend. Every other individual servant and 
domestic hath some duty appointed him, in the 
performance of which should he be somewhat 
negligent or slothful, he would most certainly 
incur displeasure and reprehension ; but for the 
class of Durwaishes, whose duty it is to be 
grateful for the kindness of their superiors, to 
celebrate their virtues, and to implore blessings 
for them ; such service is better performed when 
absent than when present, because in the latter 
case their behavior may border on speciousness, 



PREFACE. 

whilst the other is void of ceremony and more 
acceptable. The sky's incnrvated back became 
straight through delight when Dame Nature 
brought forth a son like thee. It is a pure in- 
stance of divine mystery when the Creator of 
the universe out of his benevolence distinguishes 
a servant for the instruction of mankind. He 
hath obtained immortality, whose fame liveth, 
because after his departure the renown of his 
virtue insures existence to his name. It is mat- 
ter of indifference whether the learned praise 
thee or not, for the face of a beloved mistress 
requireth not tl^e art of the tire-woman. 

Excuse for the Omission of Personal Service; 
and the Cause of choosing Retirement. 

My deficiency and backwardness in the stren- 
uous discharge of personal service at the palace 
of sovereignty resembles the story told of Bu- 
zerchemeher ; how that, when a number of the 
sages of Hind were discoursing of his virtues, 
they could discover in him only this fault, that 
'he hesitated in his speech, so that his hearers 
were kept a long time in suspense before he de- 
livered his thoughts. Buzerchemeher overheard 
their conversation, and observed, "It is better 
to deliberate before I speak, than to repent of 
what I have said." Old men of experience, 



THE GULISTAN. 

who know the value of words, reflect and then 
speak. Expend not your breath in talking idly ; 
speak to the purpose, and mind not if your de- 
livery should be slow. First think, and then 
speak, but stop before they say, It is enough. 
Man excelleth the brute creation by the faculty 
of speech, but you are beneath the brute if you 
make an improper use of that gift. How then 
could I venture to make my appearance in the 
assembly of grandees of sovereignty, the con- 
fluence of men of piety, and the centre of pro- 
found scholars, where, if in the course of 
conversation I should feel animated, I might be 
presumptuous ? Small is the capital stock which 
I could produce before the Vizier : glass beads 
amongst jewellers are not worth a barley-corn; 
a lamp in the face of the sun emitteth not a 
ray of light; and a lofty turret at the foot of 
Mount Alwund appears diminutive. Whoso- 
ever stretcheth out his neck, claiming conse- 
quence, is beset by enemies from all quarters. 
Saadi lies prostrate, freed from worldly desires : 
no man attempteth to combat with one who is 
down on the ground. Consideration should 
precede speech: they first lay the foundation, 
and then build the wall. I understand making 
artificial flowers, but am not a professed garden- 
er! I sell a beauty, but not in Canaan.* They 

* Alluding to Joseph, who on account of his beauty was 
styled the moon of Canaan. 



PREFACE. 109 

asked Locman of whom he had learned philos- 
ophy : he answered, " Of the blind, because they 
never advance a step until they have tried the 
ground." Try your way before you stir your 
foot. Be assured of your manhood, and then 
marry. 

Although the cock is dauntless in battle, yet 
to what purpose shall he strike against a hawk 
with brazen talons ? The cat is a tiger in seiz- 
ing the mouse ; but is herself a mouse when 
engaged with the tiger. 

But, relying on the liberal disposition of the 
great, who shut their eyes on the defects of the 
humble, and strive not to expose the faults of 
inferiors, I have in a summary form comprised 
in this book morals and choice tales, embellished 
with verses and relations of meritorious deeds of 
kings ; in collecting materials for which, I have 
spent a considerable part of my life. These 
were my reasons for writing the Gulistan. May 
God favor me with his aid ! These verses and 
recitals will last for years, when every particle 
of dust of which I am compounded will be dis- 
persed. The intention in drawing this picture 
is, that it may remain after me ; seeing that ex- 
istence is fleeting, unless a devout person should 
one day, out of compassion, bestow his blessing 
on the works of the Durwaishes. Having ma- 
turely deliberated on the general arrangement 



110 TEE GULISTAN. 

of the book, the order of the chapters, and 
abridging the style of the language, it seemed 
advisable that this verdant garden, planted like 
paradise, should also resemble it by having 
eight gates ; and I abridged the work, that it 
might not be thought tedious,. 

Chapter I. On the Morals of Kings. 

II. On the Morals of Durwaishes. 

III. On the Excellency of Contentment. 

IV. On the Advantage of Silence. 
V. On Love and Youth. 

VI. On Weakness and Old Age. 
VII. On the Force of Education. 
VIII. Rules for Conduct in Life. 

Date of the book. At the time when I en- 
joyed a cheerful mind, in the year six hundred 
and fifty-six of the Hegira era ; * my design 
was to give advice, and I have spoken accord- 
ingly. I committed the work to God, and de- 
parted. 

* A. D. 1258. 



THE GULISTAN. 



CHAPTER I. 



On the Morals of Kings. 

TALE I. 

g£* HAVE heard, that a certain mon- 
jgjll arch having commanded a captive to 
|lj be put to death, the poor "wretch, in 
a fit of despair, began to abuse and 
reproach the king, hi his own language ; accord- 
ing to the saying, " Whosoever washeth his 
hands of life, uttereth whatever is in his heart." 
" A man without hope speaketh boldly ; as the 
cat, when driven to despair, seizeth the dog : in 
the time of need, when it is impossible to es- 
cape, the hand graspeth the sharp-edged sword." 
The king asked, " What doth he say? " One 
of the viziers, who- was of a benevolent dispo- 
sition, replied, " O my Lord, he said, the Al- 
mighty befriendeth him who stifleth his anger, 



112 THE GULISTAN. 

and is merciful to his fellow-creatures." The 
king had compassion on him, and spared his 
life. Another vizier, of a contrary temper, 
said, " It becometh not persons of our rank to 
speak anything but truth in the presence of 
monarchs ; that man reviled the king, and spoke 
indecently." The king was displeased at his 
speech, and said, " I am more satisfied with 
that falsehood than with this truth which you 
have uttered ; because that was well intended, 
and this is founded on malignity ; and the sages 
have declared, that falsehood mixed with good 
advice is preferable to truth tending to excite 
strife. When a king is guided by the advice of 
another, woe be unto him if he speaketh any 
thing but good. On the portico of the hall of 
Feredoon was written, The world, O my broth- 
er, continueth not to any one ; place your affec- 
tions on the Creator of the universe, and that 
will suffice. Make no reliance, neither rest 
upon the kingdom of this world ; seeing how 
many like yoursel it hath nourished and killed." 
When the pure soul is about to depart, what is 
the difference between expiring on a throne or 
on the bare ground? 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 113 



TALE II. 

ONE of the kings of Khorasan saw in a 
dream Sultan Mahmood Sebuktegeen an 
hundred years after his death, when the whole 
of his body had fallen into pieces and become 
dust, excepting his eyes, which moved in the 
sockets, and looked about. All the philosophers 
Were at a loss to explain the meaning, excepting 
a Durwaish, who, after making his obeisance, 
said, "He is still looking about, because his 
kingdom is possessed by others." Many men 
of renown whom they have buried in the ground 
have not left any traces of their existence on 
the surface of the earth. That old corpse which 
they had deposited in the grave, his dust, is so 
decayed that not a single bone of him remains. 
The happy name of Nushirvan still exists 
through his liberality, although a long season 
hath elapsed since his departure. Do good, O 
man, and account your life as gain, before 
the report is spread that such an one is no 
more. 



114 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE III. 



I HEARD of a king's son, who was low in 
stature and ill-favored, whilst all his brothers 
were tall and handsome. Once on a time, his 
father looked at him with disgust, which the son 
had sagacity enough to discover, and said : " O 
father ! a short man, who is wise, is preferable 
to him who is tall and ignorant. Not every- 
thing is valued according to its height; the 
sheep is clean, and the elephant an unclean an- 
imal. Sinai is one of the most inconsiderable 
mountains of the earth, but verily it is the 
greatest before God in rank and dignity. Have 
you heard what was said one day by a wise 
lean man to a fat blockhead ? One Arab horse, 
though lean, is preferable to a s tableful of 
asses." The father laughed, the courtiers ap- 
plauded, and the brothers were mortified to the 
very soul. Until a man hath spoken, his de- 
fects and his skill are concealed. Imagine not 
every desert to be empty, for perhaps a tiger 
may be there asleep. I heard that at that time 
a powerful enemy appeared against the king, and 
when the two armies met, the first person who 
impelled his horse into the action was this young 
prince, calling out, " I am not 'him whose back 
you shall see in the day of battle, but my head 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 115 

may be found in dust and blood ; for whosoever 
fighteth the battle stake th his own life, and he 
who flieth sporteth with the blood of his troops." 
Having thus said, he attacked the troops of the 
enemy, and overthrew several men of renown. 
When he came to his father, he bowed down to 
the earth, and said, " O ye, to whom my form 
appeared contemptible, without considering the 
force of my valor ; in the day of battle the slen- 
der steed is useful, and not the fattened ox." It 
is reported that, the enemy having many troops, 
and this side but few, a body of the latter were 
giving way, upon which the prince vociferated, 
" Exert yourselves like men, that you may not 
wear the dress of women." The troopers, ani- 
mated by this speech, joined in the general at- 
tack, and are reported to have gained the victory 
over the adversary on that day. The king 
kissed his head and eyes, and folded hhn in his 
arms, and his affection towards him increased 
daily, till at length he appointed him his suc- 
cessor. The brothers became envious, and put 
poison into his food. His sister seeing this from 
a window, flapped to the shutters, and he, un- 
derstanding the signal, withdrew his hand from 
the dish, and exclaimed : " If the wise should be 
deprived of life, it would be impossible for the 
unskilful to supply their place. No one would 
go under the shade of the owl, if the Homai 



116 THE GULISTAN. 

was annihilated from the earth." They in- « 
formed the father of the circumstances, who 
sent for the brothers, and, after rebuking them 
properly, he gave to each of them a suitable 
portion of his kingdom, that all cause of strife 
and bickering might subside. " It has been 
observed that ten Durwaishes may sleep upon 
one blanket, but that one kingdom cannot con- 
tain two kings." If a pious man eateth half a 
loaf of bread, he bestoweth the other half on 
the poor. If a king posse sseth the dominion of 
a whole climate, he longeth to have the same 
enjoyment of another. 



TALE IV. 

A GANG of Arabian robbers had assembled 
on the top of a mountain, and blocked 
up the road of the caravan. The inhabitants 
were distressed by their stratagems, and the 
troops of the Sultan overpowered ; because the 
thieves, having possessed themselves "of a for- 
tress on the summit of the mountain, made this 
stronghold their fixed residence. The counsel- 
lors of the king's party consulted together how 
to remove this grievance, because, if they were 
suffered to continue any time in this state, they 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 117 

would become too powerful to be subdued. 
The tree that has only just taken root may be 
pulled up by the strength of a man, but should 
it continue some time in that state, it could not 
be eradicated even by a windlass. It is possible 
to stop the course of a spring with a bodkin, 
which, when formed into a fall stream, cannot 
be forded by an elephant. They came to the 
determination to send one as a spy, to watch the 
opportunity when the thieves should be gone to 
attack a tribe, and the place evacuated. They 
detached a party of approved men, who con- 
cealed themselves in the pass of the mountains. 
In the evening, when the robbers returned from 
their expedition with their plunder, they laid 
aside their weapons, and deposited their spoil. 
The first enemy who attacked them was sleep, 
about the end of the first watch of the night. 
The sun's disk passed into shadow, Jonas en- 
tered into the whale's belly. The gallant men 
sprang out of the ambush, and pinioned the 
robbers one after another. In the morning 
they were brought to the palace, when the king 
gave orders for them all to be put to death. 
There happened to be amongst them a lad, the 
first fruits of whose youth were yet immature ; 
the freshness of his cheeks resembled a rose-bud 
in early spring. One of the viziers kissed the 
foot of the king's throne, and bowed his head 



118 THE GULISTAN. 

to the earth in intercession, saying, " This boy 
hath not, like the rest, tasted the fruit of the 
garden of life, nor ever enjoyed the harvest of 
the season of youth. I therefore venture to 
hope, from your Majesty's known clemency, that 
you will oblige your servant, by sparing the lad's 
blood." The king looked displeased at these 
words, as they did not accord with his enlight- 
ened understanding, and he observed that an 
evil root will not thrive in a goodly shade, " To 
educate the worthless, is like throwing a walnut 
upon a dome : it' is better to eradicate them al- 
together ; for to extinguish the fire, and suffer a 
spark to remain, or to kill the snake, and pre- 
serve the young, is not acting like a wise man. 
Though the clouds should pour down the water 
of life, you would never gather fruit from the 
branch of the willow. Waste not your time on 
low people, for we can never obtain sugar from 
the reed." When the vizier heard these words, 
he reluctantly approved of them, and praised the 
king for his just observation, saying, " May the 
king live forever ! nothing can be more true than 
what my lord hath pronounced, that, if he had 
continued with these wicked wretches, he would 
naturally have fallen into their evil courses, 
and would have become one of them; but 
your servant entertains hopes that this boy, by 
associating with men of probity, will receive in- 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 119 

struction, and imbibe virtuous sentiments ; for 
being but a child, his principles cannot be taint- 
ed with the lawless and inimical disposition of 
that banditti ; for in the Hadees it is recorded, 
\ Of a truth every one is born with a disposition 
to Islamism, and it is owing to his parents his 
becoming a Jew, a Christian, or a Majoosie.' 
Lot's wife associated with the wicked, and his 
posterity forfeited the gift of prophecy ; but the 
dog of the companions of the cave, by long 
converse with the virtuous, became a rational 
creature." The vizier having thus concluded 
his speech, some of the courtiers joined in his 
petition, till at length the king spared the life of 
the youth, and said, " I grant your request, al- 
though I disapprove of it. Know you not what 
Zal said to Rustam ? Consider not any enemy 
as weak and contemptible. I have frequently 
seen water issue from a small spring, which so 
increased in its course that it carried away the 
camel with his load." Summarily, the vizier 
took the youth into his family, and educated 
him with kindness and attention. An able mas- 
ter was appointed his tutor, w 7 ho taught him 
how to ask a question and return an answer 
with elegance, together with all the accomplish- 
ments requisite for court, so that his manners 
met with general approbation. Once when the 
vizier mentioned to the king some particulars of 



120 THE GULISTAN. 

the youth's disposition and manners, and was 
saying that wise education had made impression 
on him, and that his former ignorance was root- 
ed out of his mind, the king laughed at those 
expressions, and said, " The wolf's whelp will 
at length become a wolf, although it be brought 
up along with men." Two years^ after this con- 
versation, a set of vagabonds of the town en- 
tered into a conspiracy with him, and, taking an 
opportunity, he killed the vizier, and his two 
sons, carried off an immense booty, and, succeed- 
ing his father as the head of * the gang, became 
an avowed offender. The king, apprised there- 
of, in the . emotion of amazement exclaimed, 
" How can any one form a good sword out of 
bad iron? O ye philosophers, it is impossible 
to convert a worthless wretch into a good man. 
The rain, in whose nature there is no partiality, 
produces tulips in the garden, but only weeds in 
a barren soil. A sterile soil will not yield spike- 
nard; waste not then seed upon it. To show 
favor to the wicked is in fact doing injury to the 
good." 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 121 



TALE V. 

I SAW at the gate of Ughulmish an officer's 
son, who was endowed with wisdom and sa- 
gacity beyond description : even his childhood 
was distinguished by proofs of superior abilities. 
The star of sublimity shone on his head through 
wisdom. Summarily, he obtained favor in the 
sight of the Sultan, on account of his beauty 
and acute understanding, according to the saying 
of the sages, " Ability, and not riches, consti- 
tutes worth : greatness dependeth on skill, and 
not on years." His companions became envi- 
ous, and, accusing him falsely of dishonesty, 
made a fruitless attempt to deprive him of life. 
But what can the enemy do against him who 
hath an assured friend? The king asked him, 
" What is the cause of their striving against 
you?" He replied, "Under the shade of your 
Majesty's protection, I have gained the good-will 
of every one, excepting the envious man, who 
cannot be satisfied but by the decline of my 
good fortune ; and ma^y the wealth and pros- 
perity of sovereignty be perpetual. I can avoid 
injuring the mind of every one, but what shall 
I do to the envious man, who carrieth the injury 
in his own breast ? Die, thou envious wretch, 
since thou canst not be cured of the disease 

6 



122 THE GULISTAN. 

under which thou laborest but by death. The 
malevolent man wishes that misfortune may be- 
fall the successful. If the bat's eye seeth not in 
the day, what fault is on that account to be im- 
puted to the sun ? Require you truth ? It is 
better for a thousand such eyes to suffer, than 
that the brightness of the sun should be ob- 
scured." 



TALE VI. 

THEY tell a story of one of the kings of 
Persia, that he had stretched out the hand 
of oppression on the property of his subjects, 
and exercised tyranny and violence. By his 
repeated acts of injustice, the people were com- 
pelled to emigrate to different countries,* beyond 
the reach of his power. When his subjects 
were diminished, the resources of his govern- 
ment were lessened, his treasury was exhausted, 
and powerful enemies pressed him on all quar- 
ters. Whosoever looketh for assistance in the 
day of adversity, let hijn exercise humanity in 
the season of prosperity. If you do not treat 
kindly the servant, with the ring on his ear, he 
will depart ; show kindness in such manner that 
the stranger may become a willing servant. 
One day in his presence they were reading, in 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 123 

the Shahnameh, the history of the decline of 
the kingdom of Zohac, and the reign of Feri- 
doon. The vizier asked the king, " Since Feri- 
doon had neither money, nor territory, nor 
troops, how did it happen that the kingdom was 
conferred on him ? " He answered, " In the 
manner you have heard, the people joined him, 
and through their strength he gained the king- 
dom." The vizier rejoined, " Seeing that col- 
lecting people together is the means of forming 
a kingdom, why then do you make them disperse, 
unless you do not desire to govern ? It is ad- 
visable to cherish the army at the risk of your 
life, as the Sultan derive th his power from his 
troops." The king asked, " What methods are 
to be taken to collect together troops and sub- 
jects ? " The vizier replied, " The monarch 
must be just, to induce them to approach him, 
and merciful, that they may enjoy peace in the 
shade of his government ; but you possess nei- 
ther of these qualities. A tyrant cannot gov- 
ern a kingdom, as a wolf cannot perform the 
office of a shepherd. The tyrannic prince saps 
the foundation of his own empire." The king 
was offended at the vizier's w T ise admonition, 
and ordered him to be bound, and committed 
to prison. A short time after, the sons of the 
king's uncle commenced hostilities, and appeared 
in arms, and claimed possession of their father's 



124 THE GULISTAN. 

dominions. A number of people, who on ac- 
count of his oppression had absconded, now 
joined the enemy and supported them; till at 
length the king was dispossessed of the kingdom 
and they obtained it. 

The king who suffers the poor to be oppressed 
will find, in the day of adversity, his friends 
become powerful foes. Be on good terms with 
your subjects, and sit down secure from the at- 
tack of your enemy ; for to a just monarch, his 
subjects are an army. 



TALE VII. 

A KING was sitting in a vessel with a Per- 
sian slave. The boy having never before 
seen the sea, nor experienced the inconvenience 
of a ship, began to cry and lament, and his 
whole body was in a tremor. Notwithstanding 
all the soothings that were offered, he would 
not be pacified. The king's diversion was in- 
terrupted, and no remedy could be found. A 
philosopher who was in the ship said, u If you 
will command me, I will silence him." The 
king replied, " It will be ^n act of great kind- 
ness." The philosopher ordered them to throw 
the boy into the sea, and after several plunges, 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 125 

they laid hold of the hair of his head, and 
dragging him towards the ship, he clang to the 
rudder with both Ins hands. 

When he got out of the water, he sat down 
quietly in a corner of the vessel. The king 
was pleased, and asked how this was brought 
about. The philosopher replied, "At first he 
had never experienced the danger of being 
drowned ; neither knew he the safety of a 
ship." In like manner, he knoweth the value 
of prosperity who hath encountered adversity. 
O thou who hast satisfied thine hunger, to thee 
a barley loaf is beneath notice ; that seems 
loveliness to me, which in thy sight appears de- 
formity. To the nymphs of paradise, purga- 
tory would be hell ; and ask the inhabitants 
of hell, whether purgatory is not paradise. 
There is a difference between him who clasp- 
eth his mistress in his arms, and him whose 
eyes are fixed on the door expecting her. 



TALE VIII. 

THEY, asked King Hormuz, " What crime 
have you found in your father's min- 
isters, that you ordered them to be impris- 
oned?" 



126 THE GULISTAN. 

He replied, "I have not discovered any crime, 
but perceiving that they fear me greatly in 
their hearts, and do not place full reliance on 
my promise, I was alarmed lest, out of appre- 
hension for their own safety, they might attempt 
my ruin; and therefore I have followed the 
advice of the sages, who say, 6 Fear him who 
feareth you, although you be able to cope with 
an hundred such. Dost not thou know, that 
the cat, when desperate, teareth out the tiger's 
eyes with her claws ? The snake biteth the foot 
of the peasant, from the dread of having its own 
head dashed against a stone.' ' 



TALE IX. 

A KING of Arabia was sick in his old age, 
and there was no hope of his recovery, 
when a horseman entered the gate, and brought 
these glad tidings : " Through your Majesty's 
auspices, I have taken such a fortress; the 
garrison are made prisoners, and the troops 
and subjects of that quarter have one and all 
submitted to your government." 

When he heard these words he sighed, and 
said, " This good news concerns not me, but 
mine enemies, that is, those who shall succeed 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS 127 

to my kingdom. My precious life hath been 
vainly spent in the expectation of accomplishing 
my wishes, but now to what purpose does it 
serve, for I have no hope that my past life should 
return ! The hand of fate beats his march upon 
the drum. Alas ! mine eyes, take your leave 
of this head; hands, arms, and wrists, bid adieu 
to each other. Death, a foe to my desire, hath 
overtaken me. For the last time come before 
me, O my Mends ! my days have been spent in 
ignorance ; I have not performed my duty ; 
shun my example," 



TALE X. 

IN a certain year I was sitting retired in the 
great mosque at Damascus, at the head of 
the tomb of Yahiya the prophet (on whom be 
peace !). One of the kings of Arabia, who was 
notorious for his injustice, happened to come on 
a pilgrimage, and having performed his devo- 
tions, he uttered the following words: "The 
poor and the rich are servants of this earth, 
and those who are richest have the greatest 
wants." He then looked towards me and said, 
" Because Durwaishes are strenuous and sin- 
cere in their commerce with heaven, unite your 



128 THE GULISTAN. 

prayers with mine, for I am in dread of a pow- 
erful enemy." 

I replied, " Show mercy to- the weak peasant, 
that you may not experience difficulty from a 
strong enemy. It is criminal to crush the poor 
and defenceless subjects with the arm of power. 
He liveth in dread who befriendeth not the poor, 
for should his foot slip, no one layeth hold of his 
hand. Whosoever soweth bad seed, and looketh 
for good fruit, tortureth his imagination in vain, 
making a false judgment of things. Take the 
cotton out of thine ear, and distribute justice to 
mankind ; for if thou refusest justice, there will 
be a day of retribution. 

" The children of Adam are limbs of one an- 
other, and are all produced from the same sub- 
stance ; when the world gives pain to one 
member, the others also suffer uneasiness. Thou 
who art indifferent to the sufferings of others 
deservest not to be called a man." 



TALE XI. 

ADUKWAISH, who never prayed in vain, 
made his appearance at Baghdad. Hojaj 
Yousuf sent for him, and said, " Offer up a 
prayer for me." He said, " O God, take away 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 129 

his life." Hojaj asked, " For God's sake, what 
kind of prayer is this ? " He answered, " It 
is a salutary wish for yourself and for all Mos- 
lems. O thou powerful wretch, who oppressest 
the weak, how long will this violence continue ? 
Of what use is thy government ? It is better 
that thou shouldst die, because thou art an op- 
pressor of mankind." 



TALE XII. 

A CERTAIN tyrannical king asked a re- 
ligious man, " What kind of devotion will 
be most meritorious for me to perform ? " He 
replied, " That you sleep at noon, because in 
that one moment you will not oppress man- 
kind." 

When I saw a tyrant sleeping at noon, I said, 
" He is a tyrant, it is best that he should be 
overcome with sleep. He who is better asleep 
than awake, death is preferable to such an evil 
life." 



6* 



130 



THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XIII. 



I HEARD of a king, who had spent the night 
in jollity, and when he was completely in- 
toxicated, he said, " I have never in my life 
experienced a more pleasant moment than the 
present, for I have no thoughts about good or 
evil, and am not plagued with any one." A 
naked Durwaish, who had been sleeping with- 
out, in the cold, said, " O king, there is none 
equal to thee in power. I grant that you have 
no sorrow of your own ; but what then, hast 
thou no concern about us ? " The king was 
pleased at this speech, and threw out of the win- 
dow a bag of a thousand dinars, and said, " O 
Durwaish, hold out your skirt." He answered, 
" Whence shall I produce a skirt, who have not 
a garment? " 

The king the more pitied his weak estate, 
and in addition to the money sent him a dress. 
The Durwaish, having consumed the whole 
sum in a short time, came again. Riches re- 
main not in the hand of the pious, neither pa- 
tience in the heart of a lover, nor water in a 
sieve. At a time when the king had no care 
about him, they related his case. He was angry, 
and turned away his face from him : and to this 
point men of wisdom and experience have ob- 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 131 

served, that we ought to guard against the fury 
and rage of kings, for frequently their thoughts 
are engrossed by important affairs of state, and 
they cannot enduap interruption from the vul- 
gar. Whosoever watches not a fit opportunity 
must expect nothing from the king's favor. Till 
you perceive a convenient time for conversing, 
lose not your own consequence by talking to no 
purpose. The king said, " Drive away this in- 
solent, extravagant fellow, who has dissipated 
such an immense sum in so short a time ; since 
the Biet ul mal is designed to afford a mouthful 
for the poor, and not to feast the fraternity of 
devils. The blockhead who burns a camphor 
candle in the daytime, you will soon see without 
oil in his lamp at night." One of the viziers, a 
good counsellor, said, " O king, it seems expe- 
dient that stated allowances should be settled for 
people of this class separately for their mainte- 
nance, that they may not live .extravagantly ; but 
what you commanded in displeasure, to exclude 
them altogether, is repugnant to the principles of 
true generosity, — to fill one with hopes through 
kindness, and then to destroy him with despair ; 
a monarch cannot admit people into his presence, 
and, when the door of liberality is open, then 
shut it upon them with violence. No one seeth 
the thirsty pilgrims on the sea-shore ; wherever 
there is a spring of sweet water, men, birds, and 
ants flock together." 



132 



THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XIV. 



ONE of the former king* was negligent in 
protecting his dominions, and haying suf- 
fered his troops to be in distress, when a power- 
ful enemy appeared they forsook him. When 
pay is withheld from the troops, they are unwill- 
ing to put their hands to their swords. Being 
intimately acquainted with one who had desert- 
ed his post, I reproached him, saying, "It is 
base, disreputable, mean, and ungrateful, when, 
upon a trifling change of condition, a man for- 
sakes his old master, unmindful of the favors of 
many years." He replied: "If I should tell 
you the state of the case, you would acquit 
me ; perhaps my horse was without barley and 
my saddle-cloth in pawn ; and the prince who 
through avarice withholds the pay of his sol- 
diers does not deserve that they should expose 
their lives in his service. Give money to the 
gallant soldier, that he may expose his head ; for 
if you do not pay him, he will seek his fortune 
elsewhere. The strong man, if his belly is full, 
will fight valiantly, but when hungry he will 
run away stoutly." 



ON TEE MORALS OF KINGS. 133 



TALE XV. 

A CERTAIN vizier, being dismissed from 
his office, joined a society of Durwaishes, 
the blessing of whose company made such an 
impression as bestowed comfort on his mind. 
The king was again favorably disposed towards 
him, and ordered that he should be reinstated ; 
to which the vizier would not consent, saying, 
that degradation was preferable to employment. 
" They who are seated in the corner of retire- 
ment, close the dog's teeth and men's mouths. 
They tear their papers and break their pens, and 
are delivered from the hands and tongues of 
slanderers."- The king said, " Of a truth we 
stand in need of a man of such sufficiency for 
the administration of our government." The 
vizier observed that the proof of a man's being 
sufficiently wise was his not engaging in such 
matters. The Homai is honored above all oth- 
er birds, because it feeds on bones, and injures 
not any living creature. 

Parable. They asked a Syagoosh, Why do 
you choose the servile society of the lion ? He 
replied, " Because I eat the remains of his hunt- 
ing, and live guarded from the machinations 
of my enemies, under the protection of his val- 
or." They asked, " Now that you are under 



134 THE GULISTAN. 

the shadow of his protection, and gratefully ac- 
knowledge his beneficence, why do you not 
approach nearer, so as to be brought into the 
circle of his principal servants, and to be num- 
bered amongst his favorite ministers? " He re- 
plied, " I am not so confident of my safety from 
his severity." If the Gueber lights the fire an 
hundred years, yet should he fall into it, for an 
instant, he would be burnt. It may happen 
that a king's minister obtains money ; or he may 
chance to lose his head. The sages have said, 
". Beware of the inconstant disposition of princes, 
who sometimes are dissatisfied at a salutation ; 
and sometimes in return for rudeness will bestow 
a dress of honor." And they have also observed 
wit is an accomplishment in a courtier, but a 
blemish in the character of a wise man. Pre- 
serve the dignity of your own character, and 
leave sport and buffoonery to courtiers. 



TALE XVI. 

ONE of my companions was complaining to 
me of the unfavorableness of the times, 
and said : "I have but small means with a large 
family, and am not able to support the burden 
of poverty. It has frequently come into my 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 135 

mind to go to some other country, that by what- 
ever way I might maintain myself, no one 
would know of my good or bad fortune. Many 
a person has slept an hungered without any one 
knowing who it was. Many a vital spirit has 
departed, over which no one has wept. Again, 
I reflect on the malevolence of my enemies, who 
in my absence would scoffingly laugh at my con- 
duct, and impute my exertions for the benefit 
of my family to want of humanity, and might 
say, Behold that shameless wretch, who will 
never experience good fortune ; he consults his 
own ease, and abandons to distress his wife and 
children. I have some skill in arithmetic, as 
you know; and if through your interest any 
office can be obtained that will be the means of 
making my mind easy, during the remainder 
of my life I shall not be able to express my 
gratitude." I said: " Alas ! my friend, the ser- 
vice of princes has two sides, — the expectation 
of a livelihood, and the dread of losing one's life ; 
and it is contrary to the opinion of the wise 
for the sake of such hope to fall into such dan- 
ger. No one cometh to the poor man's house, 
saying, Pay the taxes on your ground or gar- 
den; either be prepared to encounter anxiety 
and grief, or expose your intestines to the crow." 
He replied : " This speech is not applicable to my 
case ; you have not answered my question: have 



136 THE GULISTAN. 

you not heard the saying, that whosoever is 
guilty of dishonesty, his hand trembles on ren- 
dering his account ? Rectitude is the means of 
conciliating the Divine favor. I never saw any 
one lost on a straight road ; and the sages have 
remarked, that four kinds of persons are mor- 
tally afraid of four others, — the oppressor dreads 
the king, the thief dreads the watchman, the 
adulterer dreads the informer, and the harlot the 
Mohtesib ; but he who has a clear conscience, 
what has he to apprehend from investigation? 
Live not extravagantly while in office, if you 
wish that on your removal from it your enemy 
may have no power to injure you. Be upright 
in your conduct, O my brother, and stand not 
in awe of any one. The fuller beats foul cloths 
only against the stone." I replied : " The story 
of the fox suits you exactly, who, on being seen 
running away and limping, some one asked what 
calamity occasioned him so much trepidation. 
He replied, ' I hear that they are going to press a 
camel into the service.' The other observed, ' I 
like your impudence ; what relationship is there 
between you and a camel, and what resem- 
blance have you to that animal ? ' He replied, 
4 Be silent, for if the malignant, out of evil de- 
sign, should say, This is a camel, and I should be 
seized, who would be so solicitous for my relief 
as to order an inquiry into my case ? and before 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 137 

the antidote can be brought from Irak, he who 
has been bitten by the snake may be dead.' 
Thus, although you possess such worthiness and 
integrity, yet the envious are in ambush, and the 
enemy sitting in a corner, if they should misrep- 
resent your worthy disposition, and you should 
incur the king's displeasure, and fall under his 
resentment, who will be able to speak in your 
behalf? It seems most advisable that you should 
moderate your desires, and give up all thoughts 
of preferment ; for the sages have remarked, 
that in the sea there are good things innumer- 
able ; but that if you wish for safety, you must 
seek it on the shore." My friend heard these 
words, was displeased, looked angrily, and be- 
gan to speak with a degree of asperity, saying : 
"In all this what is there of wisdom, propriety, 
intelligence, or penetration? and the words of 
the sages are verified, namely, that friends are 
serviceable in prison, for that at table enemies 
assume the appearance of friends. Account not 
those your friends who in prosperity boast of 
their attachment and brotherly affection. I 
consider him as my friend who takes me by 
the hand in the season of adversity and dis- 
tress." 

I perceived that his mind was perturbated, 
and that he considered my advice as an excuse 
for not serving him. I therefore waited on the 



138 THE GULISTAN. 

superintendent of the finances, and, through the 
means of an intimacy which had formerly sub- 
sisted between us, I represented the circum- 
stances, in consequence of which he gave my 
friend some small appointment. In a short space 
of time, they saw the worthiness of his charac- 
ter, and his good management met with appro- 
bation. His affairs prospered, and he gained 
preferment ; so that the star of his good fortune 
ascended, until he gained the meridian of his 
wishes, and became a favorite with the Sultan, 
an object of general admiration, and the confi- 
dant of illustrious personages. I rejoiced at the 
state of his prosperity, and told him not to be 
uneasy about his affairs, nor to suffer his heart 
to be distressed, since the water of immortality 
is in the land of darkness. O brother, who art 
in distress, be not disheartened, for God hath 
many hidden mercies. Repine not at the ver- 
satility of fortune, for patience is bitter, but the 
fruit is sweet. 

At that juncture it happened that, in com- 
pany with a number of my friends, I under- 
took a pilgrimage to Mecca. When we re- 
turned from the pilgrimage, he came out two 
days' journey to meet me. Seeing him in dis- 
tressed circumstances, habited like a Durwaish, 
I asked him the cause, to which he replied : " It 
has happened just as you predicted: some per- 



OX THE MORALS OF KIXGS. 139 

sons out of envy charged me with unfair prac- 
tices ; the king did not order investigation of the 
circumstances, and my old acquaintances and 
kind friends opened not their lips in my justifi- 
cation, forgetful of our former intimacy. When 
by the will of God any one falls, the whole 
world trample upon his head. When they see 
good fortune befriending him, they praise him 
with their hands upon their breasts. In short, 
I was overwhelmed with persecutions, until this 
week, when the good news of the safe arrival of 
the pilgrims being received, I was released from 
close confinement, with the confiscation of my 
patrimonial estate." I replied: "At that time 
vou would not listen to mv suowstion, that the 

t t/ Do ' 

service of kings is like voyaging on the sea, — 
profitable, but hazardous : either you acquire 
riches, or perish in the waves. The merchant 
either gains the shore with both hands full of 
gold, or else one day the waves cast him dead 
upon the beach." I did not think it advisable 
to afflict his inward wound with more scratch- 
ing, nor to sprinkle salt upon it, but satisfied 
myself with repeating the two following lines : 
Know you not, that you will see your feet in 
fetters, when you listen not to the admonition 
of mankind. Another time, if you are not able 
to endure the sting, put not your finger into 
the scorpion's hole. 



140 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XVII. 

I WAS used to associate with a body of men, 
whose conduct had the appearance of cor- 
rectness ; a person of consequence entertained 
very favorable sentiments of them, and had as- 
signed a fixed pension for their support; but 
one of them having done something unbecom- 
ing the character of Durwaishes, they forfeited 
his good opinion, and their market was injured. 
I wanted, by some means or other, to obtain for 
my friends a restitution of the pension. I went 
to wait on the great man, but the porter rudely 
refused me admittance. I excused him, in con- 
formity to the saying, that, if you approach the 
gate of either the Meer, the Vizier, or the Sul- 
tan, without any one to introduce you, when 
the dog and the porter discern that you are 
poor, this seizes your collar, and the other lays 
hold of your skirt. When the great man's, 
principal attendants were apprised of my case, 
they conducted me in with respect, and as- 
signed me a place of distinction ; but I humbly 
seated myself lower, and said, " Excuse me, for 
I am an inferior ; suffer me to seat myself in 
the rank of servants." One of them replied, 
" O God, what a hard saying is this ? if you seat 
yourself on my head and eyes, I admit your 



ON THE MORALS OF 'KINGS. 141 

gallantry, for you are amiable." Summarily, 
I seated myself, and conversed on various sub- 
jects, till the circumstance of my friend's indis- 
cretion was brought in. I asked, " What fault 
was discovered by my most bountiful lord, that 
should have rendered his servant hateful in his 
sight ? To God alone belongeth perfect great- 
ness and benignity, who discovereth the crime, 
and yet withholdeth not daily bread." The 
great man approved of this speech, and ordered 
that my friend's stipend should be restored, and 
the arrears discharged. I praised his generosity,- 
made my obeisance, and apologized for my bold- 
ness ; and at the time of taking leave made the 
following observation : " Because the temple of 
Mecca is the bestower of our wants, multitudes 
resort to it from many farsangs ; you must there- 
fore suffer the importunity of such as myself, 
since no one flings a stone into a tree that hath 
no fruit." 



TALE XVIII. 

A PRINCE inherited from his father abun- 
dance of wealth. He opened the hand 
of liberality, and bestowed innumerable largesses 
and gifts on his troops and subjects. 

No odor issues from a tray made of lignum 



142 THE GULISTAN. 

aloes ; place it on the fire, that it may diffuse 
fragrance like ambergris. If you wish to be es- 
teemed ' magnificent, be bountiful ; for grain 
groweth not unless it be scattered. One of the 
courtiers inconsiderately began his admonition, 
saying, " that former monarchs accumulated this 
treasure with labor, and stored it up against a 
time of need ; therefore restrain your liberality, 
for events being in front, and enemies on the 
rear, you must not deprive yourself of resources 
against the time of necessity. If you were to 
lavish your treasure on the multitude, each 
head of a family would not receive more than 
a grain of rice for his share ; why do you not 
exact a grain of silver from each individual, 
which will produce you a treasure daily ? " 
The prince looked displeased at this discourse, 
so contrary to his own sentiments, and he said, 
" The Eternal and Almighty God has made me 
king of these nations, that I might enjoy. and 
distribute ; I am not a sentinel to watch the 
treasure." 

Karoon, who had forty chambers full of treas- 
ure, was destroyed; but Nowshirvan died not, 
having left an immortal name. 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 143 



TALE XIX. 

THEY have related that Nowshirvan, being 
at a hunting seat, was about to have some 
game dressed, and as there was not any salt, a 
servant was sent to fetch some from a village ; 
when the monarch ordered him to pay the price 
of the salt, that the exaction might not be- 
come a custom, and the village be desolated. 
They say to him, " From this trifle, what injury 
can ensue ? " He replied : " Oppression was 
brought into the world from small beginnings, 
which every new-comer has increased, until it 
has reached the present degree of enormity. 
If the monarch were to eat a single apple from 
the garden of a peasant, the servants would 
pull up the tree by the roots : and if the Sul- 
tan orders five eggs to be taken by force, his 
soldiers will spit a thousand fowls. The iniqui- 
tous tyrant remaineth not, but the curses of 
mankind rest on him forever." 



144 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XX. 

I HE ARD of a collector of the revenues, who 
desolated the houses of the subjects, in or- 
der to fill the king's coffers ; regardless of the 
maxim of the sages, which says, " Whosoever 
offendeth the Most High to gain the heart of a 
fellow-creature, God will make that very crea- 
ture the instrument of his destruction." The 
burning flame from wild rue raises not such a 
smoke as is occasioned ]by the sighs of the 
afflicted heart. They say that the lion is the 
king of beasts, and the ass the mealiest of 
animals ; but the sages all agree, that the ass 
who carries burdens is preferable to the lion 
that destroyeth mankind. The poor ass, al- 
though devoid of understanding, yet on account 
of carrying burdens is very valuable. The 
laboring ox, and the ass, are preferable to men 
who injure their fellow-creatures. 

The king, on hearing some part of his base 
conduct, ordered him on the rack, and tortured 
him to death. You will not obtain the appro- 
bation of the king, unless at the same time you 
strive to gain the hearts of his subjects. If 
you wish that God should be bountiful to you, 
do good unto his creatures. One whom he had 
oppressed passed by at the time of his execution, 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 145 

and said, " Not every one who possesses minis- 
terial power and dignity can devour the prop- 
erty of men with impunity ; you may swallow 
a hard bone, but it will tear the belly, when it 
sticks under the navel." 



TALE XXI. 

THEY tell a story of an oppressor, who 
flung a stone at the head of a pious man. 
The Durwaish, not having power to revenge 
himself, kept the stone, till a time when the 
king, being displeased, ordered the other to be 
thrown into a pit. The Durwaish then came, and 
bruised his head with the stone ; upon which he 
exclaimed, " Who art thou, and why hast thou 
flung this stone at my head ? " He answered, 
" I am such an one, and this is the identical 
stone that on such a day you fluiig at my 
head?" He proceeded, "Where were you all 
this time ? " The Durwaish replied, " I was 
afraid of your dignity ; but now that I see you 
in the pit, I consider it a favorable opportunity 
to avenge myself. Whilst the worthless man 
is in -a state of prosperity, the wise think it 
proper to pay him respect. When you have 
not a nail sufficiently sharp for tearing, it is 



146 THE GU LI STAN. 

prudent not to contend with the wicked. Who- 
soever grapples against an arm of steel, will 
injure his own wrist, if it is of silver: wait 
until fortune ties his hands, when to the satis- 
faction of your friends you may pick out his 
brains." 



TALE XXII. 

A CERTAIN king had a terrible disease, 
the nature of which it is not proper to 
mention. A number of Greek physicians agreed 
that there was no other remedy for this disease 
but the gall of a man, of some particular de- 
scription. The king ordered such an one to 
be sought for, and they found a peasant's son 
with the properties which the physicians had 
described. The king sent for the lad's father 
and mother, and by offering a great reward 
gained their consent, and the cazy gave his 
decision that it was lawful to shed the blood of 
a subject for restoring the health of the mon- 
arch. The executioner prepared to put him 
to death, upon which the youth turned his 
eyes towards heaven, and laughed. The king 
asked what there could be in his present condi- 
tion which could possibly excite mirth. He 
replied : " Children look to their parents for 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 147 

affection ; a suit is referred to the cazy ; and 
justice is expected from the monarch. Now 
my father and mother, seduced by vain worldly 
considerations, having consented to the shedding 
of my blood, the judge having sentenced me 
to die, and the king, for the sake of his own 
health, having consented to my death, where 
am I to seek refuge excepting in the high God ? 
unto whom shall I prefer my suit, since it is 
against you that I seek justice ? " The king's 
heart being troubled at these words, the tears 
stood in his eyes, and he said, " It is better for 
me to die, than that the blood of an innocent 
person should be shed." He kissed his head 
and eyes, and embraced him, and, after bestow- 
ing considerable gifts, set him at liberty. They 
say also that in the same week the king was 
cured of his distemper. In application to this, 
I recollect the verse which the elephant-driver 
rehearsed on the banks of the river Nile: " If 
you are ignorant of the state of the ant under 
your foot, know that it resembles your own 
condition under the foot of the elephant." 



148 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XXIII. 



ONE of the slaves of Umroolais having ab- 
sconded, a person was sent in pursuit of 
hini, and brought him back. The vizier, being 
inimical to him, commanded him to be put to 
death, in order to deter other slaves from com- 
mitting the like offence. The slave prostrated 
himself before Umroolais, and said, " Whatever 
may happen to me with your approbation is 
lawful ; what plea can the slave offer against the 
sentence of his lord ? But seeing that I have 
been brought up under the bounties of your 
house, I do not wish that at the resurrection 
you shall be charged with my blood : if you 
are resolved to kill your slave, do it conforma- 
bly to the interpretation of the law, in order 
that at the resurrection you may not suffer re- 
proach." The king asked, " After what man- 
ner shall I expound it? " He replied, " Give me 
leave to kill the vizier, and then, in retaliation for 
him, order me to be put to death, that you may 
kill me justly." The king laughed, and asked 
the vizier what was his advice on the occasion. 
He replied, " O my Lord, as an offering to the 
tomb of your father, liberate this rogue, in order 
that I also may not fall into calamity. The 
crime is on my side, for not having observed the 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 149 

words of the sages, who say, When you com- 
bat with one who flings clods of earth, you 
break your own head by your folly : when you 
shoot at the face of your enemy, be careful that 
you sit out of his aim." 



TALE XXIV. 

A KING of Zuzan had a minister of a be- 
neficent spirit and amiable disposition, 
who treated all persons with civility when pres- 
ent, and spoke well of them when absent. 
It happened that, some action of his having 
displeased the king, he mulcted him, and or- 
dered him to be chastised. The king's officers, 
mindful of his former benefits, considered them- 
selves pledged thereby to show him gratitude : 
therefore, whilst he was under their custody, 
they treated him with courtesy and kindness, 
neither exercised any severity nor allowed any 
reproaches. If you wish to preserve peace with 
your enemy, whenever he slanders you in your 
absence, in return praise him to his face ; at 
any rate, as the words will issue from the lips 
of the pernicious man, if you wish that his 
speech should not be bitter, make his mouth 
sweet. He was acquitted on some of the king's 



150 THE GULISTAN. 

accusations, and for the remainder he continued 
in prison. 

One of the neighboring princes jprivately 
sent him a message, saying, " The monarchs 
of that quarter know not the value of such 
excellence, and have dishonored you: if the 
precious mind of such an one (may God pros- 
per his future undertakings!) will condescend 
to look towards us, we, out of reverence to 
his virtue^ will exert our utmost endeavors 
to satisfy him, since the rulers of these do- 
minions will be honored by the sight of him, 
and impatiently expect his answer to the let- 
ters." The minister understood the contents, 
and, reflecting on the danger to which he was 
exposed, wrote a short answer, such as to him 
appeared advisable, on the back of the letter, 
and despatched it. One of the king's attend- 
ants, being informed of the circumstances, ap- 
prised the king thereof, and said such an one, 
whom you ordered into confinement, holds cor- 
respondence with the neighboring princes. The 
king was wroth, and ordered that the affair 
should be investigated. They seized the courier, 
and read the letter, on the back of which was 
written as follows : " The good opinion of the 
great exceeds the merit of this servant, but it 
is impossible to accept the offer which you have 
made me ; for having been nourished by the 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 151 

bounty of this illustrious house, I cannot be 
ungrateful to my benefactor on account of a 
trifling change in his sentiments ; for it has 
been said, Excuse him who hath conferred con- 
tinual benefits, if during the course of your life 
he doeth you only a single injury." The king 
commended his fidelity, bestowed on him a 
largess and a dress of honor, and asked his for- 
giveness, saying, "I committed a mistake, and 
injured you who are innocent," He replied, 
" O my lord ! your servant does not consider 
you as criminal in this case ; but since it was the 
decree of Heaven that a misfortune should befall 
me, it was best that it should come from that 
hand which had for so long a time bestowed 
favor and kindness on this servant. Grieve not 
if thou shouldest suffer injury from mankind, 
since neither tranquillity nor distress cometh 
from them: know that from God proceed the 
contrarieties of enemy and friend, the hearts 
of both being under his guidance : although the 
arrow issues from the bow, yet those who are 
wise look to the archer," 



152 



THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XXV. 

A KING of Arabia commanded his minis- 
ters to double the stipend of some one, 
because he was constant in his attendance, and 
always attentive to his duty, whilst the rest of 
the courtiers were dissipated in their manners 
and negligent of their business. A man of 
penetration, hearing this, remarked, that the 
high ranks of servants in the court of heaven 
are conferred in the same manner. 

If a person is vigilant in the service of a 
monarch during two days, on the third day 
he will certainly be regarded with kindness. 
The sincere worshippers entertain expectation 
that they shall not return from the threshold of 
God unrewarded. Obedience insures greatness, 
whilst disobedience leads to a repulse: whoso- 
ever possesseth the qualities of righteousness 
placeth his head on the threshold of obedience. 



TALE XXVI, 



THEY tell a story of an oppressor who pur- 
chased firewood from the poor by force, 
and gave it gratuitously to the rich. A judi- 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 153 

cious man passing that way said, "You are a 
snake that bites every one yon see, or an owl 
that destroys every place where you sit ; although 
your injustice may pass unpunished amongst us, 
it will not escape the observation of that God 
to whom all secrets are revealed. Injure not 
the inhabitants of this world, that the sighs of 
the oppressed may not ascend to heaven." The 
oppressor was displeased at his words, frowned 
on him, and took no further notice of him, until 
one night, when fire, issuing from the kitchen, 
caught the stock of wood, and consumed all his 
goods; when his soft bed became a seat of 
warm ashes. It happened that this same judi- 
cious person, passing by, and hearing him say 
to his friends, "I know not from whence this 
fire fell upon my house," replied, " From the 
smoke of the hearts of the poor." Beware of 
the groans of the wounded .souls, since the in- 
ward sore will at length break out ; oppress not 
to the utmost a single heart, for a single sigh 
has power to overset a whole world. On the 
crown of Kaikusrou was the following inscrip- 
tion : " For how many years, during what space 
of time, shall men pass over my grave ? as the 
kingdom came to me by succession, in like 
manner shall it pass to the hands of others." 



7# 



154 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XXVII. 

A PERSON had arrived at the head of his 
profession in the art of wrestling; he 
knew three hundred and sixty capital sleights in 
this art, and every day exhibited something new ; 
but having a sincere regard for a beautiful youth, 
one of his scholars, he taught him three hundred 
and fifty-nine sleights, reserving however one 
sleight to himself. The youth excelled so much 
in skill and in strength, that no one was able to 
cope with him. He at length boasted, before 
the Sultan, that the superiority which he allowed 
his master to maintain over him was out of re- 
spect to his years, and the consideration of hav- 
ing been his instructor ; for otherwise he was not 
inferior in strength, and was his equal in point 
of skill. The king did not approve of this dis- 
respectful conduct, and commanded that there 
should be a trial of skill. An extensive spot 
was appointed for the occasion. The ministers 
of state, and other grandees of the court, were 
in attendance. The youth, like a lustful ele- 
phant, entered with a percussion that would 
have removed from its base a mountain of iron. 
The master, being sensible that the youth was 
his superior in strength, attacked with the sleight 
which he had kept to himself. The youth not 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS, 155 

being able to repel it, the master with both 
hands lifted him from the ground, and, raising 
him over his head, flung him on the earth. The 
multitude shouted. The king commanded that 
a dress, and a reward in money, should be be- 
stowed on the master ; and reproved and derid- 
ed the youth, for having presumed to put him- 
self in competition with his benefactor, and for 
having failed in the attempt. He said, " O 
king, my master did not gain the victory over 
me through strength or skill ; but there remained 
a small part in the art of wrestling which he 
had withheld from me, and by that small feint he 
got the better of me." The master observed, 
" I reserved it for such an occasion as the pres- 
ent; the sages having said, Put not yourself so 
much in the power of your friend, that if he 
should be disposed to be inimical, he may be 
able to effect his purpose. Have you not heard 
what was said by a person who had suffered in- 
jury from one whom he had educated ? Either 
there never was any gratitude in the world, or 
else no one at this time practises it. I never 
taught any one the art of archery, who in the 
end did not make a butt of me." 



156 



THE GULIST7LN. 



TALE XXVIII. 



A SOLITARY Durwaish had taken up his 
abode in a corner of a desert. The king 
passed him, and the Durwaish, because retire- 
ment is the kingdom of contentment, did not lift 
up his head, nor show any signs of politeness. 
The monarch, conscious of his superior dignity, 
was chagrined, and said, " This tribe of ragged 
mendicants resemble the brute beasts." His 
vizier said to the Durwaish, "When the mon- 
arch of the terrestrial globe passed by you, why 
did not you do him homage, nor behave even 
with common good manners?^' He replied, 
" Tell the monarch of the earth to expect ser- 
vice from him who hopes to receive benefits; 
and let him know also, that the monarch is for 
the protection of his subjects, and not the sub- 
jects for the service of the king. The king is 
the sentinel of the poor, although affluence, 
pomp, and power are his portion. The sheep 
are not for the shepherd, but the shepherd is 
for their service. To-day you will see one pros- 
perous, and another laboring under an afflicted 
heart ; wait only a few days, when the earth 
will consume the brains of the vain thinker. 
The difference between royalty and servitude 
ceases, when the decrees of fate are fulfilled. 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 157 

If any one should open the grave, he could not 
distinguish the rich man from the poor." This 
speech of the Durwaish made a favorable impres- 
sion on the king, who commanded him to make 
known his wishes. He replied, "I desire you 
not to trouble me again.'' The king said, " Give 
me some good advice." 'He replied, " Reflect, 
whilst you enjoy power, that wealth and domin- 
ion pass from one to another." 



TALE XXIX. 

A VIZIER went to Zool-noon of Egypt, and, 
asking his blessing, said, " I am day and 
night employed in the service of the king, hop- 
ing for some good from him, and dreading his 
wrath." Zool-noon wept, and said, "If I had 
served God as you have feared the king, I 
should have been reckoned in the number of 
the just. If there was no expectation of re- 
ward and punishment, 'the foot of the Durwaish 
would be on the celestial sphere ; and if the 
vizier feared God as much as he dreads the 
king, he would be an angel." 



158 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XXX. 

A KING having commanded an innocent 
person to be put to death, he said, " O 
king, seek not your own injury by venting your 
wrath on me." The king asked, in what man- 
ner. He replied, " This torture will cease with 
me in an instant, and the crime thereof will 
remain with you forever. The space of life 
passeth away, like the wind over the desert; 
bitterness and sweetness, deformity and beauty, 
all shall cease. The tyrant . imagine th that he 
committeth violence against me ; but it remain- 
eth on his own neck, and passeth over me." 
The advice was profitable to the king, who 
spared his life and asked forgiveness. 



TALE XXXI. 

THE ministers of Nowshirvan were con- 
sulting on state affairs of great impor- 
tance, and every one gave his opinion accord- 
ing to the best of his judgment: the king, in 
like manner, delivered his sentiments. Buzer- 
chemeher preferred the king's opinion. The 
other ministers asked him, in private, why he 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 159 

had preferred the king's opinion to those of so 
many wise men. He replied, " Because the 
event is not known, and the opinion of every 
one depends upon God, whether it shall prosper 
or fail ; therefore it is safest to conform to the 
king's opinion ; because if it should fail, my ob- 
sequiousness will secure me from his reprehen- 
sion. To strive to think differently from the 
king, is to wash the hands in one's own blood. 
If he call the day night, it is prudent to say, 
Behold the moon and the Pleiades." 



TALE XXXII. 

A CERTAIN impostor who had twisted his 
ringlets, pretending to be a descendant of 
Ah, entering the city, along with the caravan 
from Hejaz, said he was a pilgrim from Mecca, 
and presented the king with an elegy, as his own 
composition. One of the courtiers, who in that 
year had returned from a journey, said, " I saw 
this man during the Eed of Uzhah at Busrah ; 
how then can he be a Hajee ? " Another said, 
" His father is a Christian at Mulatyeh; how 
then can he be of the sacred stock? " and they 
discovered his verses in the Dewan of Unwu- 
ree. The king ordered that he should be pun- 



160 



THE GULISTAK 



ished and driven away, and asked him why he 
had uttered such falsehoods. He replied, " O 
king of the earth, I will speak one word more, 
and if it should not be true, I shall deserve any 
punishment that you may command." The 
king asked, " What is that ? " He replied, " If 
a seller of milk, curds, &c. brings you butter- 
milk, two parts of it are water, and one spoon- 
ful is sour milk ; be not therefore offended if 
your slave should have uttered an inconsiderate 
speech, for a traveller tells many lies." The 
king laughed, and said he had never made a 
truer speech in his life, and ordered that what 
he had asked should be granted.* 



TALE XXXIII. 



THEY have related that a certain vizier had 
shown clemency towards those of an in- 
ferior degree, and had sought to accommodate 
every one. It happened that, having fallen un- 
der the king's displeasure, they all exerted their 
interest to obtain his release, and those to whose 
custody he was committed showed him great 
indulgence in guarding him, and the other gran- 

* The allowance given to Syeds, or descendants of Mo- 
hammed. 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 161 

dees represented his virtues to the king, till at 
length the monarch pardoned his fault. 

A righteous man, when apprised of the cir- 
cumstances, said, " Sell even your patrimonial 
garden to gam the hearts of your friends. In 
order to boil your well-wisher's .pot, it is advisa- 
ble to burn all your furniture. Do good even 
unto the wicked ; for it is best to close the dog's 
mouth with a morsel." 



TALE XXXIV. 

ONE of the sons of Haroon ur Rusheed went 
to his father in a rage, complaining that 
the son of a certain officer had spoken disre- 
spectfully of his mother. Haroon asked his 
ministers what was the just punishment for such 
an offence. One was for having him put to 
death ; another said that his tongue ought to be 
cut out ; and another, that he should be fined 
and banished. Haroon said, " My son, charity 
requires that you should pardon him ; but if you 
have not strength of mind to do this, then abuse 
his mother in return, but not so much as to ex- 
ceed the bounds of vengeance, for then the in- 
jury would be imputable to our side.". In the 
opinion of the wise, he is not a brave man who 



162 



THE GULISTAN. 



combats with a furious elephant ; but he is a 
man indeed, who, even in wrath, uttereth not 
idle words. A man of a bad disposition abused 
another, who took it patiently, and called him a 
hopeful youth. " I am worse than you can say 
of me, for I know my own defects better than 
you can possibly discover them." 



TALE XXXV. 

I WAS sitting in a boat, in company with 
some persons of distinction, when a vessel 
near us sunk, and two brothers fell into a whirl- 
pool. One of the company promised a mariner 
an hundred dinars, if he would save both the 
brothers. The mariner came and saved one, 
and the other perished. I said, " Of a truth, 
the other had no longer to live, and therefore he 
was taken out of the water the last." The 
mariner laughing, replied, " What you say is 
true ; but I had also another motive for saving 
this, in preference to the other, because once, 
when I was tired in the desert, he mounted me 
on a camel ; and from the hand of the other I 
received a whipping in my childhood." I re- 
plied, "Truly, the great God is just, so that 
whosoever doth good shall himself experience 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 163 

good ; and lie who committeth evil shall suffer 
evil. As far as you can avoid it, distress not 
the mind of any one, for in the path of life there 
are many thorns. Assist the exigencies of 
others, since you also stand in need of many 
things." 



TALE XXXVI. 

THERE were two brothers, one of whom 
was in the service of the king, and the 
other ate the bread of his own industry. Once 
the rich man said to his poor brother, " Why do 
you not enter into the service of the king, to 
relieve yourself from the affliction of labor?" 
He asked, u And why do you not work, that you 
may be relieved from the baseness of servitude ? 
for the sages have said, that to eat one's bread, 
and to sit down at ease, is preferable to wearing 
a golden girdle, and standing up in service ; to 
use your hands hi making mortar of quicklime, 
is preferable to placing them on your breast in 
attendance on the Umeer. Precious life has 
been spent in these cares, What shall I eat in 
the summer, and with what shall I be clothed 
in the whiter? O ignoble belly, satisfy your- 
self with a loaf of bread, that you may not bend 
your back in servitude." 



164 THE GULISTAK 



TALE XXXVII. 

SOMEBODY brought to Noushirvan the Just 
the good tidings, that the God of majesty 
and glory has taken away such an one, who was 
your enemy. He asked, " Have you heard that 
he will by any means spare me ? The death of 
my enemy is no cause of joy to me, since neither 
is my own life eternal." 



TALE XXXVIII. 

AT the court of Kisra a number of wise 
* men were debating on some affair, when, 
Buzerchemeher being silent, they asked him 
why in this debate he did not say anything. 
He answered : " Ministers are like physicians, 
and the physician administers medicine to the 
sick only; therefore, when I see that your 
opinions are judicious, it would not be consistent 
with wisdom for me to obtrude my sentiments. 
When a business can be managed without my 
interference, it is not proper for me to speak 
on the subject ; but if I see a blind man in 
the way of a well, if I keep silence, it is a 
crime." 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 165 



TALE XXXIX. 

HAROON ur Rusheed, when he had com- 
pleted the conquest of Egypt, said, " As 
a contrast to that rebel, who, through the pride 
of his possessing the kingdom of Egypt, boasted 
that he was God, I will bestow this kingdom on 
the meanest of my slaves." He had an Ethio- 
pian blockhead, named Khosaib, to whom he 
gave the kingdom. They say that this man's 
wisdom and knowledge were so great, that, when 
some of the farmers of Egypt were complaining 
that an unseasonable fall of rain had destroyed 
the cotton which they had sown on the banks 
of the Xile, he said that they ought to sow 
wool. A man of discernment, upon hearing 
this, said, " If the augmentation of wealth de- 
pended upon knowledge, none would be so dis- 
tressed as an ignorant fellow : but God bestows 
on a single fool as much wealth as would aston- 
ish an hundred men of wisdom. Wealth and 
power depend not upon skill, and cannot be ob- 
tained without the assistance of Heaven. It 
often happens hi the world, that the imprudent 
are honored, and the wise are despised. The 
alchemist died of grief and distress, whilst the 
blockhead found treasure under a ruin." 



166 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XL. 



THEY having brought a Chinese girl to a 
certain king, whilst he was intoxicated, 
he wanted to have connection with her ; but she 
refused compliance, at which he was so much 
enraged, that he gave her to one of his negro 
slaves. This fellow's upper lip reached above 
his nostrils, and the lower one hung pendent on 
his breast; his countenance was such that the 
demon Sakreh would have fled from him in 
terror, and a fount of pitch distilled from his 
arm-pits. You would say that to the end of 
the world he will be considered as the extremity 
of ugliness, the same as Joseph is looked upon 
as the standard of beauty. One of so detestable 
an aspect, that it is impossible to describe his ug- 
liness, and from his arm-pits, — good God defend 
us ! — the stench was like a corpse exposed to the 
sun in the month of August. The negro, in the 
fury of his lust, violated her chastity. In the 
morning the king inquired for the girl, and they 
informed him what had happened. He was en- 
raged, and commanded that the negro and the 
girl should be bound fast together by their hands 
and feet, and precipitated from the roof of the 
palace into the moat. One of the ministers, a 
man of virtuous disposition, bent his forehead to 



ON THE MORALS OF KINGS. 167 

the earth, and implored mercy, saying, " The 
negro is not criminal in this instance, since all 
the slaves and servants of the court are accus- 
tomed to receive princely gifts and largesses." 
The king observed, that he might have re- 
strained his passion for one night. He replied, 
"Alas! my lord, have you not heard the saying? 
When a person parched with thirst arrives at 
the limpid spring, imagine not that he will be 
terrified at a furious elephant. So, if an hun- 
gry infidel be alone in a house filled with viands, 
reason will not believe that he would pay any 
regard to the fast of Ramzan." The king was 
pleased at the joke, and said, " I make you a 
present of the negro, but what shall I do with 
the girl ? " He replied, " Give her to the ne- 
gro, as no one would like to eat his leavings. 
Never associate with one who frequents filthy 
places. A man, although thirsty, cannot relish 
sweet water half drunken by one who hath 
stinking breath. When an orange hath fallen 
into the dirt, how can it again be offered to the 
king's hand. How can the heart of the thirsty 
wish for water out of a flagon which has been 
touched by ulcerated lips?" 



168 THE GU LI ST AN. 



TALE XLI. 

THEY asked Alexander the Great, "By 
what means have you extended your con- 
quests from east to west, since former monarchs, 
who exceeded you in wealth, in territory, in 
years, and in the number of troops, never gained 
such victories ? " He replied, "When, with the 
assistance of God, I subdued a kingdom, I never 
oppressed the subjects, and always spoke well 
of their monarchs. The wise consider not him 
illustrious who speaketh ill of the great. All 
the following objects are nothing when passed, 
wealth and dominion, command and prohibition, 
war and conquest : injure not the name of those 
who have died with a good reputation, in order 
that, in return, your own good name may be 
immortal." 




CHAPTER II. 



Of the Morals of Diirwaishes. 




TALE I. 

^ CERTAIN personage asked a devout 
man what lie said of a particular 
Abid, of whose character others had 
spoken disrespectfully. He replied, 
" I see no fault in his exterior, and am ignorant 
of what is concealed within him. Whomsoever 
thou seest in a religious habit, consider as a pi- 
ous and a good man, if you know not what is 
hidden hi his mind : what business hath the 
Mohtesib with the inside of the house?" 



TALE II. 



1SATV a Durwaish, who, having placed his 
forehead on the threshold of the temple of 
Mecca, was lamenting and saying : " O gracious 
and most merciful God, thou knowest what can 

8 



170 THE GULISTAN. 

proceed from the most unjust and ignorant of 
men, that is fit to be offered unt© thee ; I implore 
pardon for my imperfections, since I can have 
no claim of return for any performance of duty. 
The wicked repent of their sins: they who 
know God ask forgiveness for the imperfectness 
of their worship. The Abid seeks reward for 
his obedience, and merchants require the value 
of their capital stock ; but I, who am a servant, 
have brought hope, not obedience, and am come 
to beg, not to traffic. Do unto me that which 
is worthy of thee ; and treat me not according 
to my desert. Whether you slay, or whether 
you pardon, my face and head are on thy 
threshold. It is not for a servant to direct : 
whatsoever thou commandest, I shall perform." 
At the gate of the Kaba I saw a mendicant 
who was weeping bitterly, and saying, " I ask 
not that thou shouldst approve my services; 
draw the pen of forgiveness over my offences." 



TALE III. 



UBDULKADUR Gil&nee, having placed 
his forehead on the pebbles before the 
gate of the temple of Mecca, was saying, " O 
God, pardon my sins ; but shouldst thou doom 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 171 

me to punishment, then at the resurrection raise 
me up blind, in order that I may not be put to 
shame in the presence of the righteous. Pros- 
trate in weakness, with my face on the earth, 
every morning, as I awake to reflection, I ex- 
claim, O God, never will I forget thee ; wilt thou 
bestow a thought upon me ? " 



TALE IV. 

A THIEF got into the house of a religious 
man, but, after the most diligent search, 
had the mortification not to find anything. The 
good man, discovering his situation, threw the 
blanket on which he had slept in the way which 
the thief had to pass, in order that he might 
not be disappointed. I have heard, that those 
who are truly pious distress not the hearts of 
their enemies ; how canst thou attain to this 
dignity, who art hi strife and contention with 
thy friends? The affection of the righteous is 
the same in presence as in absence, not like 
those who censure you behind your back, but 
before your face are ready to die for you ; when 
you are present meek as a lamb, but when ab- 
sent, like the wolf, a devourer of mankind. 
Whosoever recounts to you the faults of your 



172 THE GULISTAN. 

neighbor will doubtless expose your defects to 
others. 



TALE V. 

SOME travellers were journeying together, 
partakers of each other's cares and com- 
forts ; I wanted to associate myself with them, 
to which they would not consent. I remarked 
that it was inconsistent with the benevolent 
manners of religious men, to turn away their 
faces from the poor, and to deny them the ad- 
vantage of such company ; that I knew myself 
to possess such a degree of energy as would 
make me an active friend, and not an incum- 
brance to them. Although I am not mounted 
on a beast, I will endeavor to carry your bur- 
dens. 

One amongst them said, " Be not uneasy 
at the words which you have heard, for not 
long ago a thief, under the appearance of a Dur- 
waish, got into our company. How can one man 
know what is under another's garment ? The 
writer knows the contents of the letter. To re- 
turn to my story : as the condition of a Durwaish 
is everywhere approved, they did not entertain 
any suspicion of his sanctity, but admitted him 
into their society. The outside of religion is 




MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 173 

a Durwaish's dress ; this is sufficient with a 
mortal face : let your actions be good, and put 
on any dress you choose ; either wear a crown 
on your head, or carry a flag on your shoulders ; 
for it is not coarse clothing that constitutes the 
Zahid; be truly pious, and dress in satin. Sanc- 
tity consists in forsaking the world, with its lusts 
and appetites, not merely in changing the dress. 
In warfare manhood is required ; of what use 
would armor be to an hermaphrodite? Sum- 
marily, one day we had travelled until dark, 
and during the night slept at the foot of a castle ; 
the graceless thief, under pretence of going to 
perform his ablutions, carried off the water-pot 
of one of his companions, and then went in 
quest of plunder. 

" Behold this person, who covered his body 
with a religious dress, made the veil of the Kaba 
a housing for an ass. As soon as he had got 
out of sight of the Durwaishes he scaled a bas- 
tion, and stole a casket. By the time it was 
daylight, the dark-minded wretch had gone a 
great distance ; and in the morning his innocent 
companions (whom he had left asleep) were all 
carried to the castle, and committed to prison. 
From that day, we resolved not to increase our 
company, but henceforward to lead the lives of 
recluses ; because in solitude there is tranquillity. 
When one of any tribe commits an act of folly, 



174: THE GULISTAN. 

there is no distinction between high and low, 
the whole being dishonored. Have you not ob- 
served that a single ox belonging to an herd will 
contaminate all the oxen of the village?" 

I replied, " Thanks to the God of majesty and 
glory, I am not destitute of the benefits which are 
enjoyed by the religious, although I am sepa- 
rated from their company ; for I have derived 
instruction from this story, which will serve men 
of our character for admonition during the re- 
mainder of life. 

" By the means of one disorderly person in a 
company, the hearts of many wise men become 
afflicted. If you fill a cistern with rose-water, 
and a dog should fall into it, it would thereby 
become impure." 



TALE VI. 

AZ AHID was invited to a feast by a king ; 
when he sat down at the table, he ate 
more sparingly than he was accustomed to do ; 
and when he stood up to prayers, he was longer 
than usual; in order that they might form an 
high opinion of his piety. I fear, O Arab, that 
thou wilt not arrive at the Kaba, because the 
road which thou art pursuing leads to Turkistan. 
When lie returned home, he ordered the table 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES, 175 

to be spread that he might eat ; his son, who had 
an acute understanding, said, " Why, father, 
did you not eat anything at the king's feast ? " 
He answered, " In his presence, I ate nothing, 
to serve a purpose." The son replied, " Per- 
form also your prayers over again, as you did 
nothing that will serve your purpose." 

O thou, who exposest thy virtues on the palm 
of the hand, and hidest thy vices under the arm- 
pit ! vain wretch, what canst thou expect to 
purchase with thy base coin in the day of dis- 
tress? 



TALE VII. 

I REMEMBER that in the time of child- 
hood I was very religious: I rose in the 
night, was punctual hi the performance of my 
devotions, and abstinent. One night I had been 
sitting in the presence of my father, not having 
closed my eyes during the whole time, and with 
the holy Koran in my embrace; whilst numbers 
around us were asleep. I said to my father, 
4 'Not one of these lifteth up his head to perform 
his genuflexions : but they are all so fast asleep, 
that you would say they are dead." He replied, 
" Life of your father, it were better if thou al- 
so wert asleep, than to be searching out the 



176 



THE GULISTAN. 



faults of mankind. The boaster sees nothing 
but himself, having a veil of conceit before his 
eyes. If he was endowed with an eye capable 
of discerning God, he would not discover any 
person weaker than himself.' 



TALE VIII. 

IN a company where every one was praising 
a religious man, and extolling his virtues, he 
raised up his head, and said : " I am such as I 
know myself to be, whilst thou who reckonest 
up my good works judgest from the external, 
but art ignorant of the interior. My external 
form, in the eyes of mankind, is a goodly object, 
but from the baseness of the interior I bow 
down my head with shame. Mankind praise the 
peacock for his beautiful plumage, but he is 
ashamed of his ugly feet." 



TALE IX. 



ONE of the religious men of Mount Liba- 
nus, whose piety and miracles were famed 
throughout Arabia, entered the great mosque 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. Ill 

of Damascus, and was purifying himself on 
the edge of the cistern of the well, when, his 
feet slipping, he fell into the water, and with 
great difficulty got out of it. When divine ser- 
vice was finished, one of his companions said, 
he had a difficulty which required explanation. 
The Sheik asked what it was: he replied, "I 
recollect that you walked on the surface of the 
sea of Africa, without your feet being wetted, 
and to-day you had nearly perished in this wa- 
ter, which is not deeper than the height of a 
man ; what is the meaning of this ? " He sunk 
his head into the bosom of reflection, and after 
a considerable pause looked up, and said, " Have 
you not heard that the prince of the world, Mo- 
hammed Mustufa, upon whom be the peace and 
blessing of God ! said, There is a time in which 
God has given me a degree of power, that is 
not allowed either to the nearest angel, nor to 
any mortal prophet sent from God ; but he did 
not pretend that this was always the case. 
Sometimes, in the manner which he described, 
neither Gabriel nor Michael has possessed it, 
and at another time it has happened to Hufzeh 
and to Zynub. The vision of the pious con- 
sists of revelation and obscurity. It discovers 
and it conceals. Thou showest thy countenance, 
and thou hidest it ; by enhancing thy value, thou 
increasest our desire. When I behold thee 

8* L 



178 TEE GULISTAN. 

without an intervention, it affects me in such a 
manner, that I lose my road. It kindles a flame, 
and then quenches it by sprinkling water, on 
which account you see me sometimes in ardent 
flames, and sometimes immersed in the waves." 



TALE X. 

SOMEBODY said to him who had lost his 
son (meaning JacoV), O thou of illustrious 
race, wise old man, seeing that you were able to 
perceive at the distance of Egypt the perfume 
of his garment, how happened it that thou wert 
not able to discover him in the well of Canaan ? 
He replied : " Our condition is like the darting 
lightning, one instant flashing, and the next dis- 
appearing. Sometimes we are seated above the 
fourth heaven, and at other times we cannot see 
the back of our feet. If the Durwaish were 
always to remain in one state, he would cease 
to desire both worlds." 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 179 



TALE XI. 

IN the great mosque at Balbuk I was reciting 
some words by way of admonition to a com- 
pany whose hearts were withered and dead, in- 
capable of applying the ways of the visible to the 
purposes of the invisible world. I perceived that 
what I was saying had no effect on them, and 
that the fire of my piety had not kindled their 
green wood. I became weary of instructing 
brutes, and of holding a mirror in the way of 
the blind ; but the door of signification continued 
open, and the concatenation of discourse was ex- 
tended in explanation of this verse of the Koran, 
" We are nearer to him than his jugular vein." 
My discourse had got to such a length, that 
I said, A friend is nearer to me than myself; 
but what is more wonderful, I am far from him. 
" What shall I do, to whom shall I address my- 
self, since he is in my arms, whilst I^am sepa- 
rated from him ? I am intoxicated with the wine 
of his discourse, and the dregs of the cup are in 
my hand." At this time a traveller passing by 
the company was so much animated by my last 
words, that he exclaimed with an emphasis that 
produced the acclamations of the whole, and the 
senseless company joined in enthusiastic rap- 
ture. I said : " O God, those who are afar off 



180 THE GULISTAN. 

know thee, whilst those who are near and igno- 
rant are at a distance ; when the hearer does 
not understand the discourse, expect not any 
effect of genius from the orator : first extend the 
plain of desire, in order that the orator may 
strike the ball of eloquence." 



TALE XII. 

ONE night, in the desert of Mecca, from the 
great want of sleep, I was deprived of all 
power to stir ; I reclined my head on the earth, 
and desired the camel-driver not to disturb me. 
How far shall the feet of the poor man proceed 
when the camel is weary of his load ? Whilst 
the body of the fat man is becoming lean, the 
lean man may die of fatigue. He replied : " O 
brother, Mecca is in front, and robbers in the 
rear ; by proceeding you escape, and if you sleep 
you die. It is pleasant to sleep on the road in 
the desert under the acacia-tree in the night 
of decampment, but you must consider it as 
abandoning life." 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 181 



TALE XIII. 

I SAW on the sea-shore a religious man, who 
had a wound from a tiger, which could not 
be cured by any medicine. He had been a long 
time in this woful state, and was continually 
thanking God, saying, " God be praised that I 
am afflicted through misfortune, and not through 
sin. If that dear Mend assigns maio the place 
of slaughter, then, in order that you may not 
accuse me of being at that instant afraid of my 
life, I will ask, What crime has your slave com- 
mitted, that your heart is offended at me ? This 
reflection only is the cause of my sorrow." 



TALE XIV. 

ADURWAISH, having some pressing oc- 
casion, stole a blanket from the house of 
a friend. The judge ordered that they should 
cut off his hand. The owner of the blanket 
interceded, and said that he absolved him. The 
judge replied, that he should not forego the 
legal punishment at his intercession. He re- 
joined : " You have said rightly ; but whosoever 
stealeth any property dedicated to religious pur- 



182 THE GULISTAN. 

poses is not subject to the punishment of ampu- 
tation ; because the beggar is not the proprietor 
of anything, neither is he the property of any 
one, whatever the beggar hath being devoted to 
the benefit of the necessitous." The judge re- 
leased him, and said, " Was the world so narrow 
that you should steal only from such a friend as 
this ? " He replied : " O my lord, have you not 
heard the saying ? Sweep the houses of your 
friends, but knock not at the doors of your ene- 
mies. When you fall into distress, resign not 
yourself to despair ; strip your enemies of their 
skin, and your friends of their jackets." 






TALE XV. 

A CERTAIN king said to a religious man, 
" Do you ever think of me ? " He an- 
swered, "Yes, whenever I forget God." He 
fleeth everywhere whom God driveth from his 
gate ; but whomsoever God inviteth, he will not 
suffer to run to the door of any one. 






MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 183 



TALE XVI. 

A CERTAIN pious man saw in a dream a 
king in paradise, and a holy man in hell ; 
he asked what could be the meaning of the exal- 
tation of one, and the degradation of the other, 
as the contrary is generally considered to be the 
case ? They replied, " The king has obtained 
paradise in return for his love of holy men ; and 
the religious man, by associating with kings, has 
got into hell." Of what use are the coarse frock, 
the beads, and patched garments ? Abstain from 
evil deeds, and there is no need of a cap of 
leaves ; possess the virtues of a Durwaish, and 
wear a Tartarian crown. 



TALE XVII. 

AFOOT traveller, bareheaded, and without 
shoes, came from Cufeh, and accompa- 
nied the caravan to Mecca. He proceeded mer- 
rily, saying : " I am neither mounted on a camel, 
nor like a mule under a load. I am no lord of a 
vassal, neither the slave of any king. I have no 
concern either about the present or the past. I 
draw my breath freely, and pass my life in com- 



184 THE GULISTAN. 

fort." One mounted on a camel said to him, 
" O Durwaish, whither art thou going ? return, 
or thou wilt perish in distress." He paid no 
attention, but entered the desert, and proceeded 
on the journey. When we arrived at a place 
called Nukleh Mahmood, the rich man's destiny 
being accomplished, he died. The Durwaish 
came to his pillow, and said, " I, after encoun- 
tering difficulties, am here alive, whilst you_ ex- 
pired riding on a dromedary." A person wept 
all night by the side of a sick person ; in the 
morning he died, and the sick man recovered. 
O my friend, many fleet horses have fallen, down 
dead, whilst the lame ass has come alive to the 
end of his journey. r It has frequently happened 
that those in the vigor of health have been carried 
to their graves, whilst the wounded have recov- 
ered. 



TALE XVIII. 

A CERTAIN king sent an invitation to a 
religious man. He thought by taking 
medicine to make himself weak, in order that 
the king might entertain a high opinion of him. 
It is said that he happened to swallow a deadly 
poison, and expired. 

He who appeared to me plump as a pistachio- 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 185 

nut, had coat upon coat, like an onion ! Re- 
ligious men, who look towards the world, pray 
with their backs towards Mecca. When any 
one calleth himself a servant of God, it behoove th 
him to know none besides God. 



TALE XIX. 

IN the land of Greece a caravan was attacked 
by robbers, and plundered of immense wealth. 
The merchants made grievous lamentations, and 
besought them by God and his Prophet, but 
without effect. When the dark-minded robbers 
have got the victory, what care they for the 
tears of the caravan ? Lokman the philosopher 
being amongst them, one of the caravan said to 
him, " Utter some sentences of wisdom and ex- 
hortation, which may induce the robbers to re-, 
lease some part of the goods ; for it is cruel to 
lose so' much wealth." Lokman replied: "It 
would be in vain to preach philosophy to them. 
When rust has eaten into the iron, you cannot 
remove it by pohshing. To what purpose is it 
to offer admonition to a depraved heart? an iron 
nail will not penetrate stone ? " In the days of 
your prosperity, assist those who are in distress, 
as by befriending the poor you avert evil from 



186 THE GULISTAN. 

yourself. When the beggar Implores your char- 
ity, afford him relief, lest the oppressor should 
deprive you of your substance. 



TALE XX. 

NOTWITHSTANDING aU that was said 
to me by Sheik Shumsuddeen Abulfureh 
Ben Jowzee, who ordered me to forsake music 
meetings, and to lead a life of retirement, the 
spring-tide of youth prevailed, the desire of 
sensual gratification not admitting of restraint ; 
and, in contradiction to the advice of my patron, 
I abandoned myself to the enjoyments of sing- 
ing and of convivial society. When the Sheik's 
advice occurred to my recollection, I used to 
say, " If the C&zy were of our party, he would 
rub his hands together in rapture ; if the Mohte- 
sib would drink wine, he would excuse him who 
is intoxicated." One night I entered irfto the 
society of a tribe, amongst whom was such a 
minstrel, you would say that the sound of his 
bow would break the arteries, and his voice was 
more horrid than the lamentations of a man for 
the death of his father. Sometimes the audi- 
ence put their fingers into their ears, that they 
might not hear him ; and sometimes they placed 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 187 

their fingers on their lips, as a signal for him to 
be silent. The heart may be captivated by the 
sound of sweet melody, but such a singer as 
thou art can only give delight by being silent. 
No one will experience pleasure from your sing- 
ing excepting at the time of your departure, 
when you stop your breath. 

When this harper began singing, I said to the 
master of the house, "For God's sake put quick- 
silver into my ears, that I may not hear; or else 
open the door, that I may escape." In short, 
out of regard to my friends, I accommodated 
nr^self to their inclination, and with great exertion 
passed the night until daybreak. The Mouzzin 
proclaimed prayers out of season, not knowing 
how much of the night had elapsed. Ask the 
length of the night from my eyelids, which have 
not been closed a single moment. In the morn- 
ing, by way of benediction, I took the turban 
from my head, and my direms out of my girdle, 
and, presenting them to the singer, I embraced 
him, and returned him many thanks. My com- 
panions, seeing me behave towards him in so 
unusual a manner, imputed it to weakness of 
understanding and laughed within themselves. 
One of them extended the tongue of opposition, 
and began reprimanding me, saying, " In this 
matter you have not acted as becometh a wise 
man, to have given part of your professional 



188 



THE GULISTAN. 



dress to a singer, who during his whole life never 
at one time had a direm in his hand, nor ever 
saw a particle of gold on his drum ; such a singer 
(far may he remain from this happy mansion) 
no one. ever saw him twice in the same place. 
Of a truth, when the sound came out of his 
mouth, it made men's hair stand on end. The 
sparrow flies away from the dread of him ; he 
distracts our intellects, and tears his own throat." 
I answered, " You should stop your railing, be- 
cause, in my opinion, he possesses miraculous 
talents." He replied, " Communicate this dis- 
covery, in order that we may unite with you, 
and ask pardon for the joke which has passed." 
I replied, that my Sheik had repeatedly en- 
joined me not to frequent singing parties, and 
had given me many admonitions, to which I had 
paid no attention, until this night, when the star 
of auspiciousness and good fortune guided me to 
this house, where, by the means of this singer, 
I had made a vow never again to approach sing- 
ing or convivial parties. A pleasant voice from 
a sweet palate, mouth, and lips, whether tem- 
pered with musical art or not, captivates the 
heart; but the musical modes of Ushak, Sifu- 
han, and Hejaz, from the windpipe of a con- 
temptible minstrel, are disgusting. 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 189 



TALE XXI. 

THEY asked Lokman from whom lie had 
learnt urbanity ; he replied, " From those 
of rude manners ; for whatsoever I saw in them 
that was disagreeable, I avoided doing the same. 
Not a word can be said, even in the midst of 
sport, from which a wise man will not derive 
instruction; but if an hundred chapters of' phi- 
losophy are read to an ignorant person, it will 
seem to his ears folly and sport." 



TALE XXII. 

THEY tell a story of a certain religious man, 
who in one night would eat ten pounds 
of food, and who before the morning would have 
completely finished the Koran in his devotions. 
A holy man hearing this, said, " If he had eaten 
half a loaf, and slept, it would have been much 
more meritorious." Keep your belly unencum- 
bered with food, in order that you may be able 
to discern the light of divine knowledge. You 
are void of wisdom, because you are crammed up 
to your nose with food. 



190 



THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XXIII, 



TO one who through wickedness had for- 
feited the divine favor, the lamp of grace 
shone on his path, whereby he entered into the 
circle of the religions ; and, by the blessing of 
their society and righteousness, his depravities 
were exchanged for virtuous deeds, and he ceased 
to entertain any sensual inclinations : neverthe- 
less, the tongue of calumny was still exercised 
on his character ; his former manners being re- 
membered, and no credit given to his piety and 
virtues. 

By means of repentance you may be delivered 
from the wrath of God ; but you cannot escape 
from the tongues of men. Unable to support 
the violence of reproachful tongues, he lamented 
his situation to his superior. The Sheik wept, 
and said, " How can you be sufficiently grateful 
for this blessing, that you are better than they 
suppose you to be ? how often will you repeat, 
' Evil-minded and envious men are seeking out 
my faults, wretch that I am ! ' If they rise up 
to shed your blood, or if they sit down wishing 
you evil, be thou good, although mankind speak 
evil of you, which is better than being bad, 
whilst they think you good. But look at me, 
of whose perfection mankind entertain an high 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 191 

opinion, at the same time that I am imperfection 
itself. If I had performed what they ascribe to 
me, I should indeed be a man of virtue and 
piety. 

" Of a truth, I conceal myself from the eyes 
of my neighbors ; but God knoweth my secret 
and public actions. I shut the door against men, 
that they may not discover my faults ; what ad- 
vantage is there in shutting the door, as the 
Omniscient knoweth both what is hidden and 
what is manifest?" 



TALE X*KIV. 

I LAMENTED to a venerable Sheik, that 
some one had accused me falsely of lasciv- 
iousness. He replied, " Put him to shame by 
your virtue. Let your conduct be virtuous, 
when it will not be in the power of the detractor 
to convict you of evil. When the harp is in 
tune, how can it suffer correction from the hand 
of the musician ? " 



192 



THE GU LI STAN. 



TALE XXV. 

^T^HEY asked one of the Sheiks of Damas- 
JL cus what was the condition of the sect of 
Soofies ? He replied : " They formerly were, in 
the world, a society of men apparently in dis- 
tress, but in reality contented; but now they 
are a tribe in appearance satisfied, but inwardly 
discontented." 

When your heart is continually wandering 
from one place to another, you will have no 
satisfaction in solitude. Though you possess 
riches, rank, lands, #nd chattels, if your heart is 
with God, you are a recluse. 



TALE XXVI, 



I RECOLLECT that once I had travelled the 
whole night with the caravan, and in the 
morning had gone to sleep by the side of a 
desert. A distracted man, who had accompa- 
nied us in the journey, set up a cry, took the 
road of the desert, and did not enjoy a moment's 
repose. When it was day, I asked him what 
was the matter ? He replied, " I heard the 
nightingales on the trees, the partridges in the 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 193 

mountains, the frogs in the water, and the brutes 
in the desert, uttering their plaintive notes and 
doleful lamentations ; I reflected that it did not 
become a human being, through neglect of my 
duty, to be asleep, whilst all other creatures 
were celebrating the praises of God." Last 
night, towards morning, the lamentations of a 
bird deprived me of reason, patience, power, and 
sensation. When my voice reached the ears of 
a sincere friend, he said, " I could not have be- 
lieved that the notes of a bird would in such a 
manner have deprived you of your senses." I 
replied, "It is not consistent with the laws of 
human nature, that, whilst a bird is reciting the 
praises of God, I should be silent." 



TALE XXVII. 

ONCE I travelled to Hejaz along with some 
young men of virtuous disposition, who 
had been my intimate friends and constant com- 
panions. Frequently, in their mirth, they re- 
cited spiritual verses. There happened to be in 
the party an Abid, who thought unfavorably of 
the morals of Durwaishes, being ignorant of their 
sufferings. At length we arrived at the grove 
of palm-trees of Beni Hullal, when a boy of a 



194 THE GULISTAN. 

dark complexion came out of one of the Arab 
families, and sang in such a strain as arrested 
the birds in their flight through the air. I be- 
held the Abid's camel dancing, and after fling- 
ing his rider, he took the road of the desert. 
I said : " O Sheik, those strains delighted the 
brutes, but made no impression on you : know- 
est thou what the nightingale of the morning 
said to me ? What kind of a man art thou, who 
art ignorant of love ? The camel is thrown into 
ecstasy by the Arabic verses, for which, if thou 
hast no relish, thou art a cross-grained brute. 
When the camel is captivated with ecstatic 
frenzy, that man who can be insensible is an 
ass. The wind blowing over the plains causes 
the tender branches of the ban-tree to bend 
before it, but affects not the hard stone. Every- 
thing that you behold is exclaiming the praises 
of God, as is well known unto the understanding 
heart: not only the nightingale and the rose- 
bush are chanting praises to God, but every 
thorn is a tongue to extol him." 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 195 



TALE XXVIII. 

A CERTAIN king, when arrived at the end 
of his days, having no heir, directed in 
his will, that in the morning after his death, the 
first person who entered the gate of the city, 
they should place on his head the crown of roy- 
alty, and commit to his charge the government 
of the kingdom. It happened that the first 
person who entered the city gate was a beggar, 
who all his life had collected scraps of victuals, 
and sewed patch upon patch. The ministers of 
state, and the nobles of the court, carried into 
execution the king's will, bestowing; on him the 
kingdom and the treasure. For some time the 
Durwaish governed the kingdom, until part of 
the nobility swerved their necks from his obe- 
dience, and all the surrounding monarchs, engag- 
ing in hostile confederacies, attacked him with 
their armies. In short, the troops and peasantry 
were thrown into confusion, and he lost the 
possession of some territories. The Durwaish 
was distressed at these events, when an old 
friend, who had been his companion in the days 
of poverty, returned from a journey, and, finding 
him in such an exalted state, said : " Praised be 
the God of excellence and glory, that your high 
fortune has aided you, and prosperity been your 



196 THE GULISTAN. 

guide, so that a rose has issued from the brier ; 
and the thorn has been extracted from your foot, 
and you have arrived at this dignity. Of a 
truth, joy succeeds sorrow ; the bud sometimes 
blossoms, and sometimes withers ; the tree is 
sometimes naked and sometimes clothed." He 
replied: "O brother, condole with me, for this is 
not a time for congratulation. When you saw 
me last, I was only anxious how to obtain bread ; 
but now I have all the cares of the world to 
encounter. If the times are adverse, I am in 
pain ; and if they are prosperous, I am capti- 
vated with worldly enjoyments. There is no 
calamity greater than worldly affairs, because 
they distress the heart in prosperity as well as in 
adversity. If you want riches, seek only for 
contentment, which is inestimable wealth. If 
the rich man should throw money into your lap, 
consider not yourself obliged to him; for I have 
often heard it said by pious men, that the pa- 
tience of the poor is preferable to the liberality 
of the rich. If Bahram should roast an ona- 
ger to be distributed amongst the people, it 
would not be equal to the leg of a locust to an 
ant." 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 197 



TALE XXIX e 

A CERTAIN person had a friend employed 
in the office of Dewan, with whom he had 
not chanced to meet for some time. Somebody 
said to him, " It is a long time since you saw 
such an one." He answered, " Neither do I 
wish to see him." It happened that one of the 
Dewan's people was present, who asked what 
fault his friend had been guilty of, that he was 
not inclined to see him. He replied, " There is 
no fault; but the time for seeing a Dewan is 
when he is dismissed from his office. In great- 
ness and authority of office, they neglect their 
friends ; in the day of adversity and degrada- 
tion, they impart to their friends the disquiet- 
ude of then' hearts." 



TALE XXX. 

ABU HORIERA used every day to visit 
Mustefa (Mohammed), upon whom be 
the blessing and peace of God ! The Prophet 
said, " O Abu Horiera, come not every day, 
that so affection may increase." They observed 
to a holy man, that, notwithstanding the benefits 



198 THE GULISTAN. 

which we derive from the sun's bounteousness, 
we have not heard any one speaking of him 
with affection. He replied, " That is because 
he can be seen every day, excepting in the win- 
ter, when, being veiled, he is beloved." 

There is no harm in visiting men, but let it 
not be so often that they may say, It is enough. 
If you correct yourself, you will not need repre- 
hension from another. 



TALE XXXI. 

HAVING become weary of the company 
of my friends at Damascus, I retired into 
the desert of Jerusalem, and associated with the 
brutes, till I was taken prisoner by the Franks, 
and consigned to a pit in Tripoli, to dig clay, 
along with some Jews. But one of the princi- 
pal men of Aleppo, with whom I had formerly 
been intimate, happening to pass that way, 
recollected me, asked me how I came there, 
and in what manner I spent my time ? I an- 
swered, " I fled into the mountains and deserts 
to avoid mankind, seeing on God alone reliance 
can be placed ; conjecture then what must now 
be my situation, forced to associate with wretches 
worse than men. To have our feet bound with 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 199 

chains in company with our friends, is preferable 
to living in a garden with strangers." He then 
had compassion on my condition, redeemed me 
for ten dinars from the Franks, and took me 
with him to Aleppo. He had a daughter, whom 
he gave me in marriage, with an hundred dinars 
for her dower. When some time had elapsed, 
she discovered her disposition, which was ill-na- 
tured, quarrelsome, obstinate, and abusive ; so 
that she destroyed my happiness, in the manner 
that has been said. A bad woman, in the house 
of a good man, is his hell in this world. Take 
care how you connect yourself with a bad wo- 
man ; defend us, O Lord, from this fiery trial ! 
Once she reproached me, saying, " Art thou 
not he whom my father redeemed from captivity 
amongst the Franks for ten dinars ? " I an- 
swered, " Yes, he ransomed me for ten dinars, 
and put me into your hands for a hundred." 

I have heard that a certain great man deliv- 
ered a sheep from the teeth and claws of a wolf, 
and the night following applied a knife to his 
throat. The expiring sheep complained of him, 
saying, " You delivered me from the claws of a 
wolf, but I have seen you at length act the part 
of the very wolf towards me." 



200 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XXXII. 



A CERTAIN king asked a religious man 
how he passed his valuable time ; he re- 
plied, " All night I pray, in the morning I offer 
up my vows and petitions, and the whole day is 
spent in regulating my expenses." The king 
commanded that they should provide him a daily 
subsistence to relieve his mind from the cares of 
his family. O thou, who art enthralled with 
the cares of a family, look not for freedom in 
any other respect ; sorrow for children, bread, 
raiment, and subsistence incapacitates you for 
contemplating the invisible world. The whole 
day I am reflecting that at night I shall be em- 
ployed in my devotions ; and at night, when I 
begin my prayers, I am thinking how I shall be 
able to provide food for my children next morn- 
ing. 



TALE XXXIII. 

ONE of the hermits of Damascus had passed 
many years in the desert, in devotion, 
feeding on the leaves of trees. The king of that 
country, having gone to visit him, said, " It 
seems advisable to me that I should prepare a 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 201 

place for you in the city, where you may per- 
form your devotions more conveniently, and 
others be benefited by the blessing of your 
company, and take example from your good 
works." The hermit would not consent to this 
proposal. The ministers of state said, "It is 
necessary, for the satisfaction of his majesty, that 
you should remove into the city for a few days, 
to make an experiment of the nature of the place, 
when, if you should find your precious time dis- 
turbed by the society of others, the choice will 
still remain in your power." They have related, 
that the hermit came into the city, and that the 
king prepared for his reception a garden belong- 
ing to the palace. A delightful situation, refresh- 
ing the spirits ; red roses vying with the cheeks 
of a beautiful damsel ; hyacinths resembling 
the ringlets of a beloved mistress. Although 
in the depth of winter, yet these flowers had the 
freshness of new-born babes, who had not tasted 
the nurse's milk. The branches of the trees 
were ornamented with scarlet flowers, suspended 
amongst verdant foliage, shining like fire. The 
king sent him immediately a beauteous hand- 
maid; her face, fair as the crescent moon, would 
fascinate an anchorite ; and her angelic form, 
arrayed in all the peacock's pride and splendor, 
would at the first view deprive the most rigid 

moralist of the command of his passions. She 
9* 



202 THE GULISTAN. 

was followed by a youth of rare beauty, and 
most exquisite symmetry of form. He is sur- 
rounded by mortals parched with thirst, whilst 
he who hath the appearance of a cup-bearer 
bestoweth not drink. The eyes could not be 
satisfied with the sight of him, like one afflicted 
with the dropsy beholding the Euphrates. The 
hermit began to feast on dainties, was arrayed in 
elegant attire, regaled himself with fruits and 
perfumes, and took delight in the company of the 
virgin and her attendant. The sages have said, 
" that the ringlets of fair maids are chains for 
the feet of reason, and a snare for the bird of 
wisdom. In your service, I have lost my heart, 
my religion, and my reason. In truth, I am now 
the bird of wisdom, and you are the snare." 
To be brief, his state of enjoypient began to 
decline, in the manner as has been said, " When- 
ever a lawyer, a teacher, a disciple, or an orator, 
possessed of pure spirit, descends to mean world- 
ly concernments, he will find himself enthralled, 
like flies with their feet in honey." Once the 
king, having an inclination to see him, found the 
holy man much altered in his appearance, having 
become plump, with a clear and rosy complex- 
ion. He was reclining on a pillow of damask 
silk, and the fairy-formed boy stood behind him 
with a fan made of peacock's feathers. The 
king rejoiced at his happy condition, and they 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 203 

talked on various subjects, until the king con- 
cluded the conversation by saying, " I have an 
affection for two descriptions of men in the 
world, the learned, and the recluse." A vizier, 
a man of wisdom and experience, being present, 
said, O king, the law of benevolence requires 
that you should do good to both of them ; give 
money to the learned, that others may be in- 
duced to study ; but give nothing to recluses, in 
order that they may continue such. Durwaishes 
require not direms and dinars; when they re- 
ceive money, look out for other Durwaishes. 
Whosoever possesseth a virtuous disposition, and 
has his mind devoted to God, is a religious man, 
without feeding on consecrated bread, or beg- 
ging for broken victuals. The finger of a 
beautiful woman, and the tip of her ear, are 
handsome without an ear-jewel or a turquoise 
ring. He is a Durwaish who is virtuous and 
wise, although he tasteth not holy bread, nor 
the fragments of beggary. The lady endowed 
wdth an elegant form and a beautiful face is 
charming without paint or jewels. Whilst I 
have anything of my own, and covet the goods 
of others, if you do not call me a religious man, 
perhaps you will not be mistaken. 



204 



THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XXXIV. 



THE following story will exemplify what 
has been said above. A king, having 
some weighty affairs in agitation, made a vow 
that, in case of success, he would distribute a 
certain sum of money amongst men dedicated 
to religion. When, on his wish being accom- 
plished, it was necessary to perform the condi- 
tions of his vow, he gave a purse of direms to 
one of his favorite servants, to distribute amongst 
the Zahids. It was said that the youth was 
wise and prudent. The whole day he wandered 
about, and at night, when he returned, he 
kissed the money, and laid it before the king, 
saying, that he had not found any Zahids. The 
king replied, " What a story is this! since I 
myself know four hundred Zahids in this city!" 
He replied, " O Lord of the world ! those who 
are Zahids will not accept of money, and they 
who take it are not Zahids." The king laughed, 
and said to his courtiers, " So much as I want 
to favor this body of men, the worshippers of 
God, this saucy fellow thwarts my inclination, 
and he has justice on his side. If a Zahid ac- 
cepts direms and dinars, you must seek some- 
where else for a religious man." 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 205 



TALE XXXV. 

THEY asked a certain wise man, what was 
his opinion of consecrated bread ? He re- 
plied: "If they receive it in order to compose 
their minds, and to promote their devotions, it is 
lawful ; but if they want nothing but bread, it 
is illegal. Men of piety receive bread to enjoy 
religious retirement, but enter not into the cell 
of devotion for the sake of obtaining bread." 



TALE XXXVI. 

ADURWAISH came to a place where the 
master of the house was of a hospitable 
disposition. The company consisted of persons 
of understanding and eloquence, who separately 
delivered a joke or pleasantry in a manner be- 
coming men of wit. The JDurwaish, having 
travelled over the desert, was fatigued, and had 
not eaten anything. One of the company ob- 
served to him, merrily, that he also must say 
something. The Durwaish replied, that he did 
not possess wit and eloquence like the rest, and 
neither being learned, he hoped they would be 
satisfied with his reciting a single distich. They 



206 THE GULISTAN. 

one and all eagerly desired him to speak, when 
he said, " I am a hungry man, in whom a table 
covered with food excites strong appetite, like a 
youth at the door of the female bath." They 
all applauded, and ordered the table to be laid 
for him. The host said, " O my friend, stop a 
little, as my servants are preparing some minced 
meat." The Durwaish raised up his head, and 
said, " Forbid them to put forced-meat on my 
table, for to the hungry plain bread is a savory 
dish." 



TALE XXXVII. 

A PUPIL complained to his spiritual guide 
of being much disturbed by impertinent 
visitors, who broke in upon his valuable time, 
and he asked how he could get rid of them. 
The superior replied : " To such of them as are 
poor, lend money, and from those that are rich 
ask something, when you may depend upon not 
seeing one of them again. If a beggar was the 
leader of the army of Islamism, the infidels 
would flee to China through fear of his impor- 
tunity." 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 207 



TALE XXXVIII. 

A LAWYER said to his father: "Those 
fine speeches of the declaimers make no 
impression on me, because I do not see that 
their actions correspond with their precepts. 
They teach people to forsake the world, whilst 
themselves accumulate property. A wise man, 
who preaches without practising, will not im- 
press others. That person is wise who abstain- 
eth from sin, not he who teacheth good to others, 
whilst himself committeth evil. The wise man 
who indulges in sensual gratifications, being him- 
self bewildered, how can he guide others ? " 
The father replied : " O my son ! you ought not, 
merely from this vain opinion, to reject the doc- 
trines of the preacher, thus pursuing the paths 
of vanity, by imputing errors to the learned; 
and whilst you are searching for an immaculate 
teacher, are deprived of the benefits of learning ; 
like the blind man, who, one night falling into 
the mud, cried out, 6 O Muslems, bring a lamp 
to show me the way.' An impudent woman, 
who heard him, said, 4 You cannot see a lamp ; 
what, then, can it show you ? ' Moreover, the 
society of the preacher resembles the shop of a 
trader, where, until you pay money, you cannot 
carry away the goods : and here, unless you come 



208 



THE GU LI STAN. 



with good inclination, you will not derive any 
benefit. Listen to the discourse of the .learned 
man with the utmost attention, although his 
actions may not correspond with his doctrine. 
It is a futile objection of gainsayers, that how 
can he who is asleep awaken others ? " It 
behooveth a man to receive instruction, although 
the advice be written on a wall. 



TALE XXXIX. 

A CERTAIN holy man having quitted a 
monastery, and the society of religious 
men, became a member of a college. I asked 
what was the difference between being a learned 
or a religious man, that could haduce him to 
change his society ? He replied, " The devotee 
saves his own blanket out of the waves, and the 
learned man endeavors to rescue others from 
drowning." 



TALE XL. 

A DRUNKEN man was sleeping on the 
highway, overcome by the power of in- 
toxication : a devotee passed by, and beheld his 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 209 

condition with detestation. The young man 
lifted up his head and said: "When you meet 
an inconsiderate person, pass him with kind- 
ness; and when you see a sinner, conceal his 
crime, and be compassionate. O thou, who 
despisest my indiscretion, why dost thou not 
rather pity me ? O holy man, avert not thy 
face from a sinner, but regard him with benig- 
nity. If my manners are unpolished, neverthe- 
less behave yourself towards me with civility." 



TALE XLI. 

A COMPANY of dissolute men came to 
dispute with a Durwaish, and made use 
of improper expressions ; at which being of- 
fended, he went to his spiritual guide, and com- 
plained of what had happened. He replied: 
" O my son, the habit of a Durwaish is the gar- 
ment of resignation ; whosoever weareth this 
garb, and cannot support injuries, is an enemy 
to the profession, and is not entitled to the dress. 
A great river is not made turbid by a stone ; the 
religious man who is hurt at injuries is as yet 
but shallow water. If any misfortune befalleth 
you, bear with it ; that, by forgiving others, you 
may yourself obtain pardon. O my brother, 



210 



THE GULISTAN. 



seeing that we are at last to return to earth, 
let us humble ourselves in ashes before we are 
changed into dust." 



TALE XLII. 

ATTEND to the following story. In the 
city of Baghdad there happened a conten- 
tion between the flag and the curtain. The 
flag, disgusted with the dust of the road and 
the fatigue of marching, said to the curtain in 
displeasure : " You and myself are schoolfel- 
lows, both servants of the Sultan's court. I 
never enjoy a moment's relaxation from busi- 
ness, being obliged to travel at all seasons ; you 
have not experienced the fatigue of marching, 
the danger of storming the fortress, the perils 
of the desert, nor the inconveniences of whirl- 
winds and dust: my foot is more forward in 
enterprise, — why, then, is thy dignity greater 
than mine ? You pass your time amongst youths, 
beautiful as the moon, and with virgins odorif- 
erous as jasmine. I am carried in the hands of 
menial servants ; and travel with my feet in 
bands, and my head agitated by the wind." 
The curtain replied, " My head is placed on 
the threshold, and not, like yours, raised up to 
the sky: whosoever through folly exalts his 
neck, precipitates himself into distress." 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 211 



TALE XLIII. 

A HOLY man saw a wrestler distracted 
and foaming at the mouth with rage : he 
inquired the cause, and was told some one had 
given him abuse. He said : " This paltry fel- 
low, who can lift a stone of a thousand pounds' 
weight, is not able to bear a single word. Re- 
sign your boasting pretensions to strength and 
fortitude, you weak-spirited wretch ! What is 
the difference between such a man and a wo- 
man ? Show your power by engaging others 
to speak kindly to you : it is not courage to 
drive your fist against another man's mouth, 
if you are able to tear the front of an elephant ; 
he is no man who hath not humanity. The 
sons of Adam are formed of humble earth ; if 
you possess not humility, neither are you a 
man." 



TALE XL IV. 

THEY interrogated a learned man concern- 
ing the character of his brethren, the 
Sufis. He answered : " The meanest of their 
excellences is, that they prefer gratifying the 
desire of their friends to attending to their own 



212 



THE GULISTAN. 



affairs ; and the sages have said, ; The brother 
who is intent upon his own affairs is neither 
brother nor relation: your fellow-traveller, if 
he walks faster than yourself, is not your com- 
panion : place not your affections on any one 
who is not attached to you. If there be not 
religion and piety amongst relatives, it is best 
to break off connections with our kindred.' ' I 
recollect that an adversary objected to the sen- 
timent in the above distich, and said, that in the 
Koran the Most High God has forbidden that 
we should break off comiection with relatives, 
and has commanded us to prefer friendship with 
relations to that of others; and that* what I 
had said above was contrary to this precept. 
I replied, " You are mistaken, it agrees with 
the Koran. God said, If your parents insist 
that you should join as partners with me those 
things of which you are ignorant, then do not 
obey them. A thousand relations, who are ig- 
norant of God, ought to be sacrifices for one 
stranger who acknowledges him." 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 213 



TALE XLV. 

A MERRY fellow of Baghdad married his 
daughter to a shoemaker. The little man, 
having a flinty heart, bit the girl's lips in such 
a nianne*, that they trickled with blood. In the 
morning, her father, beholding her in such plight, 
went to his son-in-law, and said to him, " you 
worthless fellow ! what kind of teeth have you 
got thus to chew her lips, as if they were made 
of leather ? I am not speaking in jest, leave 
off your jokes, and have your legal enjoyment. 
When bad manners become habitual, they can- 
not be got rid of until death." 



TALE XLVI. 

A CERTAIN lawyer had a veiy ugly daugh- 
ter, who was marriageable ; but although 
he offered a considerable dower, and other val- 
uables, no one was inclined to wed her. Bro- 
cade and damask will appear disgustful on a 
bride who is offly. In short, through necessity, 
he married her to a blind man. It is said that 
in the same year there arrived from Ceylon a 
physician who could restore sight to the blind. 



214 -THE GULISTAN. 

They asked the father why he would not have 
his son-in-law cured. He said, " Because he 
was afraid that, if he should recover his sight, 
he would divorce his wife. It is best that the 
husband of an ugly woman should be blind." 



TALE XLVII. 

A CERTAIN king regarded with contempt 
the society of Durwaishes, which one of 
them having the penetration to discover, said, 
" O king ! in this world you have the advan- 
tage of us in external grandeur, but with re- 
gard to the comforts of life we are your supe- 
riors ; at the time of death we shall be your 
equals ; and at the resurrection our state will 
be preferable to yours." Although the con- 
queror of kingdoms enjoyeth absolute sway at 
the same time that the Durwaish may be in 
want of bread, yet in that hour when both shall 
die they will carry nothing with them but their 
winding-sheets. When you wish to make up 
your burdens for quitting this world, the state 
of the beggar will be preferable to that of the 
monarch. The Durwaish exhibits a patched 
garment and shaved hair, but in truth his heart 
is alive and his passions subdued. He is not a 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 215 

person that will advance his pretensions among 
mankind ; and if men oppose his inclination, he 
will not engage in strife. If a millstone should 
roll down from a mountain, he has but little 
faith who gets out of the way of it. The Dur- 
waish's course of duty consists in invoking and 
praising God, in obeying and worshipping him, 
in giving alms, hi being content, in believing 
the unity of the deity, and in ^reliance on God, 
with patient resignation to his will. Whosoever 
is endowed with these qualities is a Durwaish 
indeed, although he be arrayed in a robe ; and 
on the contrary, an idle prater, who neglects 
his prayers, and is a slave to his passions, who 
turns day into night in sensual gratifications, 
and night into day in drowsy indolence, eating 
anything that falls in his way, and saying what- 
ever comes uppermost, such an one is a profli- 
gate, although he wears nothing but a blanket. 
O thou, whose inward parts are void of piety, 
and whose outside beareth the garb of hypoc- 
risy, hang not a gorgeous curtain before the 
door of a house constructed of reeds. 



216 THE GU LI STAN. 



TALE XLVIII. 

I SAW some nosegays of fresh roses tied to 
a dome with some grass. I said, "What 
is this worthless grass, that it should thus be in 
the company of roses?" The grass wept, and 
said: "Be silent; the benevolent forget not their 
associates ; although I have neither beauty, nor 
color, nor odor, still am I not the grass of God's 
garden ? I am the servant of the munificent 
God, nourished from of old by his bounty ; 
whether I possess any virtue or not, yet I look 
for the mercy of God. Although I have not 
any worth, neither possess the means of show- 
ing my obedience ; he is able to save his ser- 
vant, although destitute of all other support. 
It is the custom that masters should liberate 
their old slaves. O God, who hast ornamented 
this world with thy creatures, bestow liberty on 
this thine old servant. O Saadi, pursue the 
road to the temple of resignation. O man of 
God, walk in the path of righteousness. Un- 
fortunate is that person who turns his head 
from this gate, since he will not be able to find 
another." 



MORALS OF DURWAISHES. 217 



TALE XLIX. 

THEY asked a wise man which was prefer- 
able, fortitude or liberality ? he replied : 
"He who possesseth liberality hath no need of 
fortitude. It is inscribed on the tomb of Bah- 
rain- Goar, that a liberal hand is preferable to a 
strong arm." Hatim Tai no longer exists ; but 
his exalted name will remain famous for virtue 
to eternity. Distribute the tithes of your wealth 
in alms, for when the husbandman lops off the 
exuberant branches from the vine, it produces 
an increase of grapes. 




10 



CHAPTER III. 

Of the Excellency of Contentment 
TALE I. 

jN African mendicant at Aleppo, in the 
quarter occupied by the dealers in 
linen cloths, was saying, " O wealthy 
Sirs, if there had been justice amongst 
you, and we had possessed contentment, there 
would have been an end of beggary in this 
world." O contentment, make me rich ! for 
without thee there is no wealth. Lokman made 
choice of patience in retirement. Whosoever 
hath not patience, neither doth he possess phi- 
losophy. 




TALE II. 

IN Egypt dwelt two sons of a nobleman, one 
of whom acqfhired learning, and the other 
gained wealth ; the former became the most 



EXCELLEXCY OF CONTENTMENT. 219 

learned man of his time, and the other prince 
of Egypt. Afterwards the rich man looked 
with contempt on his learned brother, and said, 
" I have arrived at monarchy, and you have 
continued in the same state of poverty." He 
replied, " O brother it behooveth me to be the 
more thankful to the divine Creator, since I 
have found the inheritance of the prophets, that 
is wisdom ; and you have got the portion of 
Pharaoh, and Haman, or the kingdom of Egypt. 
I am the ant which men tread under their feet, 
and not the wasp of whose sting they complain. 
How shall I express my grateful sense of such 
blessing that I am not possessed of the means 
of oppressing mankind ? " 



TALE III. 

I HEARD of a Durwaish who was suffering 
great distress from poverty, and sewing patch 
upon patch, but who comforted himself with the 
following verse : " I am contented with stale 
bread, and a coarse woollen frock, since it is 
better to bear the weight of one's own neces- 
sities than to suffer the load of obligation from 
mankind." Somebody said to him, " Why do 
you sit quiet, whilst such an one in this city has 



220 THE GULISTAN. 

a i liberal mind, and possesses universal benev- 
olence, being ever willing to assist the pious, 
and always ready to comfort every heart. If 
he were apprised of your condition, he would 
consider it an obligation to satisfy your wants." 
He replied, " Be silent, for it is better to die 
of want than to expose our necessities to any 
one ; for they have said that to sew patch upon 
patch and be patient, is preferable to writing a 
petition to a great man for clothing." Of a 
truth, it is equal to the torments of hell to enter 
into paradise by the help of one's neighbor. 



TALE IV. 

ONE of the kings of Persia sent a skilful 
physician to Mustufa, upon whom be 
peace ! He had been some years in Arabia 
without any one having come to make trial of 
his skill, neither had they applied to him for 
any medicine. One day he came to the prince 
of prophets and complained, saying, "They sent 
me to dispense medicines to your companions, 
but to this day no one hath taken notice of me, 
that I might have an opportunity of performing 
the service to which I had been appointed." 
Mohammed replied, "It is a rule with these 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 221 

people never to eat until they are hard pressed 
by hunger, and to leave off eating whilst they 
have a good appetite." The physician said, 
"This is the way to enjoy health." He then 
made his obeisance and departed. The physi- 
cian begins to speak when evil would result from 
his silence ; either when there is eating to ex- 
cess, or when death might ensue from too much 
abstinence. Then doubtless his speech is wis- 
dom, and such a meal will be productive of 
health. 



TALE V. 

A CERTAIN man having made many vows 
which he brokfc, a venerable personage 
said to him, "I know that you make it a practice 
to eat a great deal ; and that your inclination to 
restrain your appetite is weaker than a hair, 
whilst your appetite in the manner you indulge 
it would break a chain : but a day may come 
when this intemperance may destroy you. 
Somebody nourished a wolf's whelp, which 
when full-grown tore his master to pieces." 



222 THE GULISTAK 



TALE VI. 

IN the annals of Ardsheer Babukan, it is re- 
corded, that he asked an Arabian physician, 
what quantity of food ought to be eaten in the 
course of a day. He answered, that the weight 
of one hundred direms was sufficient. The 
king asked what strength could be derived from 
so small a quantity ? The physician replied, 
" This quantity is sufficient to support you, and 
whatever more you eat, you must carry. We 
eat to live and praise God ; you believe that you 
live to eat." 



TALE VII. 

TWO Durwaishes of Khorasan, who had 
entered into strict intimacj^, travelled to- 
gether ; one, who was infirm, would fast for two 
days, and the other, who was robust, used to eat 
three times a day. It happened that they were 
seized at the gate of a city on suspicion of being 
spies, were both confined in the same room, and 
the door closed up with mud. After a fortnight 
it was discovered that they were innocent. On 
opening the door, they found the strong man 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 223 

dead, and the infirm one alive. They were 
astonished at the circumstance ; but a philoso- 
pher said, that the contrary would have been 
more wonderful, for the one who was a great 
eater was not able to support abstinence ; and 
the other, who was weak, having his body in 
subjection, and being used to fasting, had happily 
escaped. A person who has accustomed himself 
to eat sparingly, when difficulty occurs, bears it 
easily ; but if in time of prosperity he has been 
used to pamper himself, when he meets with dis- 
tress he sinks under it. 



TALE VIII. 

A CERT AIN wise man admonished his son 
against eating to excess, because repletion 
occasions sickness. The son answered, " O fa- 
ther! hunger killeth; and have you not heard 
the saying of the sages, that it is better to die 
of excess, than to suffer the pangs of hunger ? " 
The father replied, "Be moderate, for God hath 
said, Eat ye and drink, but not to excess. Eat 
not so much as to cram yourself up to the throat, 
neither so little that you should die of weakness. 
Although food is the means of sustaining life, 
yet, when taken to excess, it becomes injurious. 



224 



THE GULISTAN* 



If you eat conserve of roses without inclination 
it is pernicious, but dry "bread after fasting is as 
delicious as conserve of roses." 



TALE IX, 

THEY asked a sick man, what his heart de- 
sired ? he replied, " Only this, that it 
may not desire anything." When the stomach 
is oppressed, and the belly suffering pain, there 
is no benefit in having all other matters in per- 
fection. 



TALE X. 

A BUTCHER in the city of Wasit, to whom 
the Sufis had contracted some debts, was 
every day importuning them for payment, and 
made use of very harsh language. The society 
wa« much distressed at his reproaches, but had 
no remedy besides patience. A holy man of 
their fraternity said, " It is easier to satisfy the 
appetite with a promise of food, than to put off 
the butcher with promise of payment. It is 
better to relinquish the favor of the great man, 
than to suffer violence from his porter. It is 



_ 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 225 

better to die for want of meat, than to endure the 
importunities of the butcher." 



TALE XI. 

A CERTAIN gallant man was grievously 
wounded in an expedition against the Tar- 
tars ; somebody said, Such a merchant has an 
unguent, of which perhaps he might give you 
a little were you to ask it. The merchant was 
notorious for his parsimony. If the sun had 
been on his table instead of bread, no one would 
have seen light in the world until the day of 
judgment. The gallant man replied : "If I 
ask for the unguent, it is uncertain whether he 
will give it or not, and if he should give it, the 
effect is doubtful. On every account to ask of 
such a man is a deadly poison." 

That which you obtain by entreaty from mean 
people may benefit the body, but it injures the 
soul ; and the sages have said, If the water of 
immortality, for example, was to be sold in ex- 
change for reputation, the wise man would not 
purchase it ; for an honorable death is prefer- 
able to a disgraceful life. If you eat colocynth 
from the hand of a kind man, it is preferable to 
10* o 



226 THE GULISTAN. 

a sweetmeat given by one who has a crabbed 
countenance. 



TALE XII. 

A CERTAIN learned man who had a large 
family to support, with very scanty means, 
represented his case to a great man who enter- 
tained a favorable opinion of him. He disap- 
proved of the application, deeming it unworthy 
of a man of spirit. When you are dissatisfied 
with your fortune, approach not your dearest 
friend, or you will turn his pleasure into sorrow. 
When you expose your distress, preserve a lively 
and smiling appearance ; he never fails in his 
pursuit, who maintains a joyful countenance. It 
is said, that the great man increased his pension 
a little, but treated him with less respect than 
formerly. After some time, perceiving this dim- 
inution of affection, he said : " Evil is that food 
which you obtain in the time of distress; the 
kettle is indeed upon the hearth, but your rep- 
utation is diminished. He increased my bread, 
and lessened my honor ; it is better to be desti- 
tute of means, than to suffer the disgrace of so- 
licitation." 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 227 



TALE XIII. 

ADURWAISH having a pressing want, 
somebody said to him, " Such an one has 
inconceivable wealth, and were he apprised of 
your condition, he would not suffer any delay to 
happen in supplying you." He answered, "I 
do not know him." The other said, " I will 
conduct you " ; and, taking hold of his hand, 
showed the way to his house. The Durwaish, 
on beholding one sitting who had a hanging lip 
and a severe countenance, said nothing, but re- 
turned. 

The other asked what he had done. He re- 
plied, " I gave his bounty in exchange for his 
visit. Expose not your want to one of a sour 
countenance, for you will be distressed by his 
ill-nature. If you disclose the sorrows of your 
heart to any one, let it be to him whose pleas- 
ant countenance will assure you prompt pay- 
ment." 



228 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XIV. 

THERE happened one year such a drought 
at Alexandria, that men could not support 
it with patience ; the doors of heaven were shut 
against the earth, and the lamentations of all 
creatures reached the sky. There was neither 
bird, beast, fish, nor insect which had not sent 
up its petitions to heaven. It is wonderful that 
the smoke of the aspirations from the hearts of 
all creatures should not have collected in the 
form of clouds, and their tears been converted 
into an inundation of rain. In such a year an 
hermaphrodite (far be such an one from our 
friends!) — as using words to describe him is 
contrary to good breeding, especially in polite 
company ; but at the same time, it is not proper 
to pass him over in silence, because some people 
might impute it to the ignorance of the relator. 
Therefore I shall abridge my meaning in the 
following verses. From a little we judge of 
much ; an handful is a sample of an ass-load. 
If a Tartar should kill that hermaphrodite, no 
one could require his fclood in retaliation. How 
long will he continue to resemble the bridge at 
Bughdad, which has water running under, whilst 
men are passing over it ? — This person, of whom 
I have given some description, was at that time 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 229 

possessed of immense wealth ; amongst the needy- 
he distributed gold and silver, and provided a 
table for the entertainment of travellers. A 
company of Durwaishes, perishing with want, 
were inclined to have accepted his invitation, 
and came to ask my advice. I dissuaded them 
from their inclination, and said : " The lion will 
not eat the dog's leavings, although he should 
perish with hunger in his den. In the present 
case, submit to the pangs and cravings of hun- 
ger, and hold not up your hand to implore char- 
ity from a mean wretch. If a man destitute of 
virtue should equal Feridoon in wealth and 
power, yet account him nobody. The vari- 
egated silk and fine linen on the back of a 
blockhead are lapis lazuli and gold on a wall." 



TALE XV. 

THEY asked Hatim Tai, if he had ever 
seen or heard of any person in the world 
more noble-minded than himself. He replied: 
" One day, after having sacrificed forty camels, 
I went along with an Arab chief to the skirt of 
a desert, where I saw a laborer, who had made 
up a bundle of thorns ; whom I asked why he 
did not go to the feast of Hatim Tai, to whose 



230 THE GULISTAN. 

table people were repairing in crowds ? he an- 
swered, ' Whosoever eateth bread from his own 
labor will not submit to be under obligation to 
Hatim Tai.' I considered this man as my supe- 
rior in generosity and liberality." 



TALE XVI. 

MOSES the prophet, upon whom be peace ! 
saw a Durwaish, who, for want of clothes, 
had hidden himself in the sand ; he said, " O 
Moses, implore God to bestow on me a subsist- 
ence, for I am perishing in distress." Moses 
prayed, and God granted him assistance. Some 
days after, when Moses was returning from per- 
forming his devotions, he saw the Durwaish 
apprehended, and a crowd of people gathered 
round him. On inquiring what had happened 
to him, they replied, " Having drank wine, he 
made a disturbance, and killed a man : now they 
are going to exact retaliation." If the poor cat 
had wings, she would not leave a sparrow's egg 
in the world ; and if a mean wretch should hap- 
pen to get into power, he would become insolent, 
and twist the hands of the weak. Moses ac- 
knowledged the wisdom of the Creator of the 
universe, and asked pardon for his boldness, 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 231 

repeating the following verse of the Koran, " If 
God were to open his stores of subsistence for 
his servants, of a truth they would rebel on the 
earth." O vain man, what hast thou done to 
precipitate thyself into destruction? Would 
that the ant had not been able to fly ! 

When a mean wretch obtains promotion and 
wealth, of a truth he requires a thump on the 
head. Is not this the adage of a sage ? It were 
better for the ant not to have wings. Our 
Heavenly Father hath honey in abundance, but 
his son is affected with a feverish complaint. 
He who doth not make you rich, knoweth 
what is good for you better than you do your- 
self. 



TALE XVII. 

I SAW an Arab sitting in a circle of jewellers 
of Basrah, and relating as follows : " Once 
on a time, having missed my way in the desert, 
and having no provisions left, I gave myself up 
for lost : when I happened to find a bag full of 
pearls, I shall never forget the relish and delight 
that I felt on supposing it to be fried wheat ; nor 
the bitterness and despair which I suffered, on 
discovering that the bag contained pearls. In 
the parched desert of quicksands, pearls or shells, 



232 THE GULISTAN. 

in the mouth of the thirsty traveller, are alike 
unavailing. When a man destitute of provisions 
is fatigued, it is the same thing to have in his 
girdle gold or potsherds." 



TALE XVIII. 

AN Arab laboring under excessive thirst, 
exclaimed, "I wish that for one day be- 
fore my death this my desire may be grati- 
fied, — that a river dashing its waves against 
my knees, I may fill my leather sack with 
water." 

In like manner a traveller, who had lost his 
way in the great desert, had neither strength 
nor provisions remaining; but a few difems in 
his girdle. He had wandered about a long 
time without finding the road, and perished for 
want. A company of men arrived, and saw 
the direms lying before his face, and the follow- 
ing words written on the ground : " If the man 
destitute of food were possessed of pure gold, it 
would avail him nothing. To a poor wretch in 
the desert, parched with the heat of the sun, 
a boiled turnip is of more value than virgin 
silver." 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 233 



TALE XIX. 

I NEVER complained of the vicissitudes of 
fortune, nor murmured at the ordinances 
of Heaven, excepting once, when my feet were 
bare, and I had not the means of procuring my- 
self shoes. I entered the great mosque at 
Cufah with a heavy heart, when I beheld a 
man who had no feet. I offered up praise and 
thanksgiving to God for his bounty, and bore 
with patience the want of shoes. A broiled 
fowl in the eyes of one who has satisfied his 
appetite, is of less estimation than a leaf of 
greens on a dish ; but to him who hath not the 
means of procuring food, a boiled turnip is equal 
to a broiled fowl. 



TALE XX. 

A CERTAIN king, attended by some of his* 
principal nobility, on a hunting party, in 
the winter, was benighted at a long distance 
from any town. Having discovered the cottage 
of a peasant, the king said, " Let us go there for 
the night, that we may not suffer inconvenience 
from the cold." One of the courtiers replied, 
" It is beneath the dignity of a monarch to take 



234 THE GULISTAN. 

shelter in the cottage of a mean peasant; we 
will pitch a tent on this spot, and light a fire." 
The peasant being apprised of the circumstance, 
prepared such food as he could provide, which 
he brought, and presented to the king, and kiss- 
ing the earth, said, " The Sultan's high dignity 
will not suffer any degradation by this conde- 
scension ; but these gentlemen are not willing 
that the peasant's humble state should be ex- 
alted." The king approved of his speech, and 
passed the night in the cottage. In the morning, 
he bestowed on the peasant a dress and money. 
I heard that he accompanied the king's stirrup 
a few paces, and said, "The king's dignity and 
splendor have not suffered any diminution, by 
his condescension in suffering himself to be 
entertained under the peasant's roof, but the 
corner of the rustic's cap has been exalted to 
the sun by such a monarch having overshadowed 
his head." 



TALE XXI, 



THEY tell a story of a horrible mendicant, 
who was possessed of considerable wealth. 
A certain king said to him, "It appears that 
you are exceedingly rich, and as I have a press- 
ing demand, if you will assist me with a small 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 235 

sum out of your wealth, by way of loan, when 
the public finances are in a flourishing state I 
will repay you." He replied, " It does not suit 
the high dignity of the Lord of the world to soil 
the hand of ambition with money belonging to 
such a beggar as myself, who has collected it 
grain by grain." He replied, "Don't distress 
yourself on that account, as I shall pay it away 
to the Tartars. Filthy things are fit for those 
who are impure. They say that dung does not 
make clean plaster, and we answer that we 
want it to stop dirty holes. If the water of a 
well belonging to a Christian is impure, what 
signifies this, if we use it to wash the corpse of a 
Jew?" I heard that he slighted the king's 
command, began to dispute, and to behave with 
insolence. Whereupon" the king ordered that 
the subject of disputation should be taken from 
him with violence and reproach. 

When an affair cannot be accomplished by 
kind treatment, it becomes necessary to effect it 
by harshness. When a person is not ready to 
contribute of himself, it is proper that some one 
should force him. 



236 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XXII. 



I SAW a merchant who possessed one hun- 
dred and fifty camels laden with merchan- 
dise, and fifty slaves and servants. One night, 
in the island of Kish, he entertained me in his 
own apartment, and during the whole night did 
not cease talking foolishly, saying, " I have such 
and such property in Turkistan, and such goods 
in Hindostan ; these are the title-deeds of such 
a piece of ground ; and for this matter, such an 
one is security." Sometimes he would say, M I 
have an inclination to go to Alexandria, the air 
of which is very pleasant"; then again, "No, I 
will not go, because the Mediterranean Sea is 
boisterous. O Saadi, I have another journey in 
contemplation, and after I have performed that, 
I will pass the remainder of my life in retire- 
ment, and leave off trading." I asked what 
journey it was. He replied, " I want to carry 
Persian brimstone to China, where I have heard 
it bears a very high price ; from thence I will 
transport China ware to Greece : and take the 
brocades of Greece to India ; and Indian steel 
to Aleppo; the glass-ware of Aleppo, I will 
convey to Yemen, and from thence go with 
striped cloths to Persia ; after which I will leave 
off trade, and sit down in my shop." He spoke 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 237 

so much of this foolishness, that at length, being 
quite exhausted, he said, " O Saadi, relate also 
something of what you have seen and heard." 
I replied, " Have you not heard, that once upon 
a time, a chief, as he was travelling hi the desert 
of Ghoor, fell from his camel ? He said that 
the covetous eye of the worldly man is either 
satisfied through contentment, or will be filled 
with the earth of the grave." 



TALE XXIII. 

I HEARD of a certain rich man, who was as 
notorious for parsimony as Hatim Tai for 
liberality. His external form was adorned with 
wealth, but the meanness of his disposition was 
so radicated, that he never gave even a loaf of 
bread to any one ; he would not have bestowed 
a scrap on the cat of Abu Horaira, nor thrown 
a bone to the dog of the companions of the cave. 
In short, no one ever saw his door open, nor his 
table spread. A Durwaish never knew his 
victuals, excepting by the smell ; no bird ever 
picked up any erunibs that fell from his table. 
I heard that he was sailing on the Mediterranean 
Sea towards Egypt, with all the pride of Pha- 
raoh hi his imagination, according to the word 



238 THE GULISTAN. 

of God, " until the time that he was drowned." 
Suddenly a contrary wind assailed the ship in 
the manner as they have said, " What can the 
heart do that it may not accord with your sor- 
rowful disposition ? the north-wind is not always 
favorable for the ship." He lifted up the hands 
of imploration, and uttered ineffectual lamenta- 
tions, God hath said, "When you embark on 
ships, offer up your prayers unto the Lord." 

Of what benefit will it be to the servant in 
the time of need, to lift up his hands in implora- 
tion, which are extended during prayers, but 
when any favor is wanted are folded under his 
arms? . Bestow comfort on others with silver 
and gold, and from thence derive also benefit 
yourself. " Know thou, that this edifice of yours 
will remain*; use, therefore, bricks of gold and 
bricks of silver." They have related, that he 
had poor relations in Egypt, who were enriched 
with the remainder of his wealth. At his death 
they rent their old garments, and make up silk 
and damasks. In that same week, I saw one 
of them riding a fleet horse, with an angelic 
youth running after him. I said, " Alas ! if the 
dead man should return amongst his tribe and 
relations, the heirs would feel more sorrow in 
restoring him his estate than they suffered on 
account of his death." On the strength of the 
acquaintance which had formerly subsisted be- 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 239 

tween us, I pulled his sleeve, and said, " Enjoy 
thou, O good man of happy endowments, that 
wealth which the late possessor accumulated to 
no purpose." 



TALE XXIV. 

A POWERFUL fish fell into the net of a 
debilitated fisherman, who not being able 
to hold it, the fish got the better of him, snatched 
the net out of his hand, and escaped. A boy 
went to fetch water from the river; the flood 
tide came in, and carried him away. The net 
had hitherto always taken the fish, but this time 
the fish escaped, and carried away the net. 
The other fishermen grieved at the loss, and 
reproached him, that, having such a fish in his 
net, he had not been able to hold it. He re- 
plied: " Alas, my brethren ! what could be done, 
seeing it was not my lucky day, and the fish 
had yet a day remaining ? A fisherman with- 
out luck catcheth not fish in the Tigris, neither 
will the fish without fate expire on the dry 
ground." 



240 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XXV. 

ONE who had neither hands nor feet having 
killed a milleped, a pious man passing by 
said, " Holy God, although this had a thousand 
feet, yet when fate overtook him he could not 
escape from one destitute of hands and feet." 
When the enemy who seizes the soul comes 
behind, fate ties the feet of the swift man. 
At that moment when the enemy attacks us 
behind, it is needless to draw the Kianyan 
bow. a 



TALE XXVI. 

IS AW a fat blockhead clad in a rich dress and 
mounted on an Arab horse, with fine Egyp- 
tian linen round his head. Some one said, " O 
Saadi, what is your opinion of this notable dress 
on this ignorant brute ? " 

I replied : " It is like bad writing executed in 
water gold. In truth, amongst men he is an 
ass with the form and bleating of a calf. You 
cannot say this brute resembles a man, ex- 
cepting in his garment, his turban and exter- 
nal form ; of all his property, estate, and bodily 
faculties, it is not lawful to take anything but 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 211 

his blood. If a man of noble birth should hap- 
pen to be poor, imagine not that his dignity will 
be thereby lessened ; but should a Jew be 
so rich as to drive a gold nail into his silver 
threshold, do not on that account esteem him 
noble." 



TALE XXVII. 

A THIEF said to a mendicant, " Are you 
not ashamed to hold out your hand to 
every sordid wretch to obtain a grain of silver?" 
He replied, " It is better to stretch out the 
hand for a grain of silver, than to have it 
cut off for having stolen a dang and a half." 



TALE XXVIII. 

THEY tell a story of a wrestler, who from 
adverse fortune was reduced to the ex- 
tremity of misery. With a craving appetite, 
and destitute of the means of subsistence, he 
came complaining to his father, and requested 
leave to travel, if perchance by the strength of 
his arm he might be able to accomplish his 
wishes. Talents and skill are of no value with- 
11 p 



242 THE GU LI STAN, 

out being exhibited ; they put lignum aloes on 
the fire, and rub musk. The father said : " O 
son, get out of your head impracticable imagina- 
tions, and draw back the foot of contentment 
within the skirt of safety ; for the sages have said, 
' Eiches are not to be obtained by bodily exertion, 
but the remedy against want is to moderate our 
desires. No one can seize the skirt of wealth 
by force ; it is lost labor to anoint the eyes of the 
blind with salve.' If every hair of your head 
possessed two hundred accomplishments, they 
would be of no use when fortune is unpropitious. 
What can a strong but unfortunate man do? 
The arm of fortune is better than the arm of 
strength." 

The son said : " O father ! the advantages of 
travelling are many, the recreation of the mind, 
profitable attainments, to see wonders, and to 
hear strange things ; the view of cities ; the 
conversation of mankind, the acquisition of hon- 
or, and attainment of manners ; the increase of 
wealth, the means of gaining a livelihood, form- 
% ing intimate connections, and the experience of 
the world, in the manner as has been observed 
by men of piety, ' As long as you stick to your 
shop, and to your house, never, O simpleton! 
will you become a man. Go and travel over the 
world, before the time shall arrive for your quit- 
ting it."' 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 243 

The father made answer : " O son, the advan- 
tages of travelling in the manner that von have 

O O if 

set forth are doubtless very great; but most 
especially so for five classes of men : First, the 
merchant, who, possessing wealth and dignity, 
with beautiful slaves and handmaids and active 
servants, may pass every day hi a new city, and 
every night in a different place, and may every 
minute, in delightful spots, recreate himself with 
worldly luxuries. The rich man is not a stran- 
ger, neither in the mountains nor in the deserts ; 
wherever he goes he pitches his tent and takes 
up his quarters ; whilst he who possesses not the 
comforts of life, but is destitute of the means of 
supporting himself, is a stranger, and unknown 
in his native country. Secondly, a learned man 
who on account of his sweet speeches, powerful 
eloquence, and store of knowledge, wherever he 
goes is universally sought after, and respected. 

" The presence of a wise man resembles pure 
gold, because whithersoever he goeth they know 
his intrinsic value and consequence. An ig- 
norant son of a rich man is like leather money 
passing current in a particular city, but which 
in a foreign country no one will receive for any- 
thing. Thirdly, the beautiful person, to whom 
the hearts of the virtuous are inclined, set a 
high value on his company, and consider it an 
honor to do him service. According to the 



244 THE GULISTAN. 

saying, ; A little beauty is preferable to great 
wealth.' A beautiful person is the balm for a 
wounded heart, and is the key of the locked 
door. The beautiful person, wheresoever he 
goes, meets with honor and respect, even if his 
father and mother should turn him out with dis- 
pleasure. I saw a peacock's feather in the 
leaves of a Koran. I said, 4 1 consider this an 
honor much greater than your quality deserves.' 
He replied, ; Be silent ; for whosoever has beauty, 
wherever he puts his foot, doth not every one 
receive him with respect ? The son who is 
endowed with elegance and beauty careth not 
for his father's anger.' 

" He is a rare pearl, let him not remain in the 
parent shell ; and of a precious pearl every one 
will be the purchaser. Fourthly, a sweet singer, 
who with the throat of David arrests the waters 
in their course, and suspends the birds in their 
flight ; consequently, by the power of this per- 
fection, he captivates the hearts of mankind in 
general, and the religious are desirous of asso- 
ciating with him. My attention is engaged in 
listening to a sweet voice : who is this beautiful 
person playing on the double chord ? How 
delightful is a tender and plaintive voice at the 
dawn of day, in the ears of those intoxicated 
with love ! A sweet voice is better than a 
beautiful face ; for the one gives sensual delight, 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 245 

and the other invigorates the soul. Fifthly, the 
mechanic, who gains subsistence by the labor of 
his arm, that his good name may not be dis- 
graced by the want of bread. According to this 
saying of the wise : — 

" c If a mechanic goes a journey from his own 
city, he suffers not difficulty nor distress ; but if 
the king of Neemroze should wander out of his 
kingdom, he would sleep hungry.' The above- 
mentioned qualities, which I have explained, are 
the means of affording comfort to the mind in 
travelling, and are the bestowers of sweet de- 
light ; but he wdio does not possess them will 
enter the world with vain expectations ; and no 
one will hear his name, nor see any signs of him. 
Whomsoever the revolutions of Heaven in malice 
afflict, the world betrays. The pigeon who is 
not to see his nest again, fate conducts to the 
grain and snare." 

The son said, " O father, how can I contra- 
dict another maxim of the sages, which says, 
1 The necessaries of life are distributed to all, yet 
the attainment thereof requires exertion ; and 
although misfortune 'is decreed, it is our duty 
to shun the. way by which it enters ' ? Al- 
though our daily bread doubtlessly may come 
to us, yet reason requires that we should seek 
it out of doors. Although no one can die before 
it is decreed by fate, you have no occasion 



246 THE GULISTAN. 

to run into the jaws of the dragon. In my 
present situation, I am able to encounter a furi- 
ous elephant, and to combat a devouring lion ; 
and I have besides this inducement to travel, 
that I am no longer able to suffer indigence. 
When a man falls from his rank and dignity, 
what has he more to concern himself about ? he 
is a citizen of the world. A rich man repairs at 
night to his palace, but wheresoever the Dur- 
waish is overtaken by night, that place is his inn." 
This he said, took leave of his father, asked 
his blessing, and departed. At his departure 
he was heard to say, " The artist to whom for- 
tune is not propitious goeth to a place where 
his name is not known." He travelled until he 
arrived on the banks of a river, so rapid that 
stones dashed against stones, and the noise was 
heard at many miles' distance. It was a tre- 
mendous water, in which even waterfowls were 
not in safety ; and the smallest of its waves 
would impel a millstone from the shore. He 
saw a number of people sitting at the ferry, each 
of whom had a small piece of money, and they 
were making up their bundles for the passage. 
The young man, having no money, used suppli- 
cations, but without effect, they saying, " You 
cannot here commit violence on any one, and if 
you have money, there is no need of force." 
The inhuman boatman laughed at him, and 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 247 

turned away, saying, " You have no money, 
and you cannot cross the river by means of your 
strength. Of what avail is the strength of ten 
men ? Bring the money of one." The young 
man, incensed at this sarcasm, wished to be 
revenged on him. The boat had put off; he 
called out, " If you will be satisfied with this 
garment, which I have on my back, I will freely 
give it you." The boatman being greedy, 
brought back the boat. Covetousness sews up 
the eyes of the cunning, and covetousness brings 
both bird and fish into the net. As soon as the 
young man's hands were in reach of the boat- 
man's beard and collar, he dragged him towards 
him, and knocked him down without ceremony. 
One of his comrades stepped out of the boat to 
help him, but experienced such rough treatment 
that he desisted. They both thought it advisa- 
ble to pacify the young man, and compromised 
with him for the fare. When you see fighting, 
be peaceable, for a peaceable disposition shuts 
the door of contention. Oppose kindness to per- 
verseness ; the sharp sword will not cut soft silk. 
By using sweet words, and gentleness, you 
may lead an elephant with a hair. In expia- 
tion of what had happened, they fell at his feet, 
and after bestowing hypocritical kisses on his 
hands and face, brought him into the boat, and 
carried him over, until they came to a pillar of 



248 TEE GULISTAN. 

Grecian building that stood in the river, when 
the boatman called out, " The boat is in danger ! 
let one of you who is the strongest and most 
courageous get upon this pillar, and lay hold of 
the boat's rope, that we may save the vessel." 
The young man, in the vanity of his strength, of 
which he had boasted, thoughtless of the offended 
heart of his enemy, paid no attention to this 
maxim of the sages, " If you have committed an 
offence towards another, and should afterwards 
confer a hundred kindnesses, think not that he 
will forget to retaliate upon thee that single 
offence ; for the arrow may be extracted from 
the wound, but the sense of injury still rankles 
in the heart." What excellent advice gave 
Yuktash to Khiltash! If you have scratched 
your enemy, do not consider yourself safe. 
When from your hand the heart of another 
hath suffered injury, expect not to be free from 
affliction thyself. Fling not a stone against the 
walls of a castle, lest perchance a stone may be 
thrown at you from the castle. As soon as he 
had gathered the rope round his arm, and had 
reached the top of the pillar, the boatman 
snatched the rope out of his hand and drove 
forward the vessel. The helpless young man 
remained astonished: for two days, he suffered 
much distress, and underwent great hardship ; 
the third day sleep overpowered him and flung 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 249 

him into the river. After a day and a night he 
reached shore with some small remains of life. 
He fed on leaves of trees and roots of grass, 
until he had somewhat recruited his strength, 
when he bent his course to the desert, and 
arrived thirsty and hungry, and faint, at a well. 
He saw a number of people gathered round it, 
who were drinking a draught of water for a 
small piece of money. The young man, having 
no money, beseeched them for water, which 
they denying, he attempted to obtain it by force, 
but in vain ; he knocked some of them down 
and beat them. They at length overpowered 
him, beat him unmercifully, and wounded him. 
A swarm of gnats will engage an elephant, 
notwithstanding all his strength and valor. 
The little ants, when they meet with an oppor- 
tunity, will strip off the skin of the fierce lion. 
Sick and wounded, he fell in with a caravan, 
which from necessity he followed. In the even- 
ing they arrived at a place that was infested by 
robbers. He saw the people of the caravan 
trembling through fear, and looking as if they 
expected to die. He said, ' Be not afraid, for I 
am one amongst you, who will encounter fifty 
men, and other men will support me.' The men, 
encouraged by his boasting, rejoiced at being in 
his company, and they supplied him with victuals 
and drink. The cravings of the young man's 
11* 



250 THE GU LI STAN. 

appetite being very powerful, he ate and drank 
so much, that at length the inner demon was 
quieted, and being overpowered with fatigue, he 
fell asleep. An old experienced man, who had 
seen the world, and was in the caravan, said: 
" O companions, I am more afraid of your guard 
than of the robbers, for they tell a story of 
an Arab, who, having collected together some 
money, would not sleep alone in his house, for 
fear of being robbed by the Lowrians, but got 
one of his friends to stay with him, from the 
apprehension he had of being alone. He stayed 
with him several nights, but as soon as he got 
intelligence of the direms, he seized them, and 
made off. The next morning, they saw the 
Arab despoiled and lamenting. They asked 
what can be the matter, excepting that the 
thieves may have stolen your money ? He re- 
plied, 'By God, not they, but the person who 
was the guard.' I never thought myself secure 
from the serpent, because I knew his disposition. 
A wound from the teeth of an enemy is most 
severe, when it is given under the semblance of 
friendship. How do you know, my friends, but 
what this young man may be one of the thieves, 
who by stratagem has introduced himself amongst 
us, in order that, when he finds an opportunity, 
he may give intelligence to his comrades ? My 
advice, therefore, is this, that we leave him asleep 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 251 

and depart." The advice of the old man was 
approved by his juniors, and as they were sus- 
picious of this strong man, they took up their 
baggage, and, leaving him asleep, departed. The 
young man, when the sun shone on his shoul- 
ders, lifted up Ins head, and discovered that the 
caravan was departed. He wandered about a 
long time without being able to find the road. 
Thirsty and without food, he laid his head on 
the ground, in a style of despondency : " Who 
will converse with me now that the yellow 
camels are departed ? A traveller has no friend, 
besides a traveller. He is the readiest to dis- 
tress a traveller, who has not himself experienced 
the difficulties of travelling." He was uttering 
this sentence, when the king's son, having lost 
his attendants in pursuit of game, happening to 
come to the spot, overheard him, and seeing him 
of a good appearance, and in distressed circum- 
stances, asked from whence he was, and how he 
came there. He gave a short account of what 
had befallen him ; and the king's son, compas- 
sionating him, bestowed on him a garment, and 
money, and ordered a trusty person to accom- 
pany him, and see him safe to his own city. 
The father was rejoiced at the sight of him, and 
thanked God for his safe return. At night he 
related to his father what had happened in the 
boat, of the violence of the boatman, and of the 



252 THE GULISTAN. 

peasants, and the treachery of the caravan. 
The father said : " O son ! did I not tell you, at 
the time of your departure, that the strong but 
poor man has his hand tied ; and that his foot, 
though resembling the paw of a Hon, is broken ? 
What an excellent saying is that of the needy 
gladiator, — 4 A grain of gold is worth more than 
fifty pounds of strength.' " 

The son replied : " O father ! of a truth, 
without encountering difficulty, you cannot ac- 
quire riches ; and without you endanger your 
life, you cannot gain the victory over your 
enemy ; and without sowing seed, you cannot 
fill your barn. Don't you perceive that, in 
return for the little distress that I suffered, 
how much wealth I have brought with me ; and 
for the sting that I endured, what a stock of 
honey I have acquired? Although we cannot 
enjoy more than Providence has assigned us, 
we ought not to be negligent in acquiring it. 
If the diver were to think of the jaw of the 
crocodile, he would never get in his possession 
precious pearls. The lower millstone does not 
move, and therefore sustains a great weight. 
What food can a ravenous lion find in his 
den ? What game can be taken by a hawk 
that cannot fly? If you wait in your house 
for provision, your hands and feet will become 
as thin as those of a spider." The father 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 253 

said: " O son, Heaven has befriended you this 
time, and good fortune has been your guide, so 
that you have been able to pluck the rose 
from the thorn, and to extract the thorn from 
your foot ; and a great man met with you, pitied 
and enriched you, and healed your broken con- 
dition. But such instances are rare, and we 
ought not to expect wonders. The hunter doth 
not always carry off the game : perchance him- 
self may one day become the prey of the tiger. 
In like manner as it happened to # one of the 
kings of Persia, who, possessing a ring set with 
a valuable jewel, went once on a party of pleas- 
ure with some of his particular associates to 
Mussula Shiraz, and ordered that they should 
fix the ring on the dome of Asud, with a procla- 
mation, that whoever shot an arrow through the 
circlet of it should have the ring. It chanced 
there were at that time four hundred experienced 
archers attending him, whose arrows all missed : 
but as a boy was playing on the terrace roof of 
the monastery, and shooting his arrows at ran- 
dom, the morning breeze conducted one of them 
through the ring. The prize was bestowed on 
him, together with other rich gifts. After this 
the boy burnt his bow and arrows, and on their 
asking him why he had done so, he replied, 
4 That this my first repute may be lasting.' It 
may happen that the prudent counsel of an 



254 THE GULISTAN. 

enlightened sage does not succeed ; and it may 
chance that an unskilful boy, through mistake, 
hits the mark with his arrow," 



TALE XXIX. 

I SAW a Durwaish, who, having seated him- 
self in a cave, had given up worldly society, 
regarding neither kings nor princes. Whoso- 
ever becomes a beggar, will be in want as long 
as he lives. Forsake covetousness, and reign as 
a monarch ; for the neck of the contented man 
is exalted. A certain king of that country inti- 
mated, that, relying on his benevolence and hu- 
mane disposition, he was inclined to hope that 
he would condescend to partake of his bread and 
salt. The Sheik consented, the acceptance of 
such invitations being conformable to the cus- 
tom of the Prophet. Another time, when the 
king went to visit him, he arose, and embraced 
the monarch, and showed him kindness. When 
the king was gone, one of the Sheik's compan- 
ions observed, that such condescension towards 
the king was contrary to rule^ and asked what 
it meant. He replied : " Have you not heard 
the saying, ' At whosoever's table you sit, you 
ought to show him respect ' ? The ear may pass 



EXCELLENCY OF CONTENTMENT. 255 

through life without listening to the sound of 
the drum, the flute, and the harp ; the sight may 
abstain from the pleasures of the garden ; the 
smell may be vigorous without the rose and the 
nusreen ; if the pillow is not stuffed with feath- 
ers, sleep may be ob tamed with a stone under 
the head ; and if one has not his mistress for 
a bedfellow, he may hug himself in his own 
arms i but the vile belly, when the ftitestines 
begin to grumble, has not patience for any- 
thing." 




. CHAPTER IV. 

Of the Advantages of Taciturnity. 




TALE I. 

SAID to one of my friends, " I have 
| , 'myself determined to observe silence, 
because that in conversation there 
frequently happens both good and 
evil, and the eye of an enemy observes only that 
which is bad." 

He replied : " O brother, he is the best ene- 
my who does not see the good. To the inimical 
eye virtue is the greatest blemish. Saadi is 
indeed a rose, but in the eyes of his enemies 
he appears a thorn. The brother of enmity 
never passeth by one who^ is virtuous without 
accusing him of falsehood and vainglory. The 
splendor of the orb, the fountain of light, which 
illumines this world, appears dim to the eye of 
the mole." 



ADVANTAGES OF TACITURNITY. 257 



TALE II. 

A MERCHANT, having suffered a loss of a 
thousand dinars, said to his son, " You 
must not mention this matter to any one." He 
answered, " O father, it is your command, and 
therefore I will not speak; but pray tell me, 
what is the use of keeping it secret ? " He re- 
plied, " In order that we may not suffer two 
misfortunes: one, the loss of the money, and 
another, the reproach of our neighbors. Im- 
part not your sorrow to your enemies, for they 
will exclaim, God avert the evil ! at the same 
time that they will rejoice at it." 



TALE III. 

A SENSIBLE young man, who had made 
considerable progress in learning and vir- 
tue, was at the same time so discreet, that 
he would sit in the company of learned men 
without uttering a word. Once his father said 
to him, " My son, Avhy do you not also say some- 
thing of what you know ? " He replied : "I fear 
lest they should question me about something of 

Q 



258 THE GITLISTAN. 

which I am ignorant, whereby I should suffer 
shame. 

" Have you net heard of a Sufi, that was driv- 
ing some nails into his sandals, when an officer, 
laying hold of his sleeve, said, ' Come and shoe 
my horse ? ' Whilst you are silent, no one has 
any business with you, but when you speak, you 
must be ready with your proofs." 



TALE IV. 

A MAN famous for his learning, happened 
to have a dispute with an infidel, and 
finding that argument had no effect, he gave up 
the contest, and retired. Somebody said, " How 
happens it that you, who possess so much supe- 
riority in learning, virtue, and wisdom, are not 
a match for this infidel ? " He replied, " My 
learning is the Koran, the traditions of the 
Prophet, and the doctrines of the fathers, which 
he will neither hear nor believe ; and what use 
is there in my listening to his blasphemy ? To 
him who will not be convinced by the Koran 
and the tradition, the proper answer is, not to 
answer him." 



ADVANTAGES OF TACITURNITY. 259 



TALE V. 

GALEN, on seeing a blockhead lay hold of 
the collar of a wise man, and disgrace 
him, said: "If this man had been really wise, 
matters would not have come to this pass with the 
ignorant. Strife and contention will not happen 
between two wise men, and a w T ise man will not 
contend with a blockhead. If an ignorant fellow 
in his brutality speaks rudely, the wise man will 
answer him with mildness. Two wise men will 
not break a hair; it is the same case between 
an obstinate person and one of a mild disposi- 
tion; but if they are both ignorant, they will 
break a chain.' 9 



TALE VI. 

SUHBAN Wahil has been considered as un- 
rivalled in eloquence, insomuch that, if he 
spoke before an assembly for the space of a year, 
he did not repeat the same word twice, and if 
the same meaning recurred, he expressed it in 
a different form ; and this is one of the qualifica- 
tions for a courtier. Although a discourse be 
captivating and sweet, commanding belief and 
admiration ; yet when you have once delivered 



260 THE GULISTAN. 

it, repeat it not again ; for when you have once 
eaten sweetmeats, it is enough. 



TALE VII. 

I HEARD a sage say, that no one confesses 
his own ignorance, excepting he who begins 
speaking whilst another is talking, and before 
the discourse is ended. " O wise man, a discourse 
hath a commencement and a conclusion. Con- 
found not one discourse with another. A man 
of virtue, judgment, and prudence speaks not 
until there is silence." 



TALE VIII. 

SOME of the servants of the Sultan Mah- 
mood asked Husn Miemundie what the 
king had said to him about a certain affair. He 
answered, " Are you also acquainted with it ? " 
They replied, " You are the prime minister of 
the empire ; whatever the king says to you, he 
does not think proper to tell to such persons as 
we are." He replied, " He. tells it me, in the 
confidence that I will not declare it to any one ; 



ADVANTAGES OF TACITURNITY. 261 

why then do you ask me?" The wise man 
tells not what he knows ; it is not prudent to 
sport with one's head by revealing the king's 
secrets. 



TALE IX. 

I WAS hesitating about concluding a bargain 
for a house, when a Jew said, " I am an old 
householder in that quarter ; inquire of me the 
description of the house, and buy it, for it has 
no fault." I replied: " Excepting that you are 
one of the neighbors. A house from being in 
your neighborhood would be worth ten dinars 
of bad coin ; but we may entertain hopes that 
after your death it may fetch a thousand." 



TALE X. 

A CERTAIN poet went to the chief of a 
gang of robbers,, and recited verses in his 
praise. He ordered him to be stripped of his 
clothes, and expelled the village. The dogs 
attacking him in his rear, he wanted to take up 
some stones, but they were frozen to the ground. 
Thus distressed he said, " What a vile set of 



262 THE GULISTAN. 

men are these, who let loose their dogs and 
fasten their stones." The chief having heard 
him from a window, laughed and said, " O wise 
man, ask a boon of me." He answered: "I 
want my own garment, if you will vouchsafe to 
bestow it. A man entertains hopes from those 
who are virtuous. I have no expectation from 
your virtue, only do me no injury. We are 
satisfied with your benevolence in suffering us 
to depart." The chief of the robbers took com- 
passion on him, ordered his garment to be re- 
stored, and added to it a robe of fur, together 
with some direms. 



TALE XI. 

AN astrologer entered his own house, and 
seeing a stranger sitting in company with 
his wife, abused him, and used such harsh lan- 
guage, that a quarrel and strife ensued. A 
shrewd man, being apprised thereof, said, " What 
do you know of the celestial sphere, when you 
cannot tell who is in your own house ? " 



ADVANTAGES OF TACITURNITY. 263 



TALE XII. 

A PREACHER, who had a detestable voice, 
but thought he had a very sweet one, 
bawled out to no purpose. You would say the 
croaking of the crow of the desert was the bur- 
den of his song, and that the following verse of 
the Koran was intended for him : " Verily the 
most detestable of sounds is the braying of an 
ass." 

When this ass of a preacher brayeth, it makes 
Persepolis tremble. The people of the town, 
on account of the respectability of his office, sub- 
mitted to the calamity, and did not think it 
advisable to molest him, until one of the neigh- 
boring preachers, who secretly was ill disposed 
towards him, came once to see him, and said, 
"I saw a dream, may it prove good!" He 
asked, "What did you see?" He replied, "I 
thought you had a sweet voice, aiyl that the 
people were enjoying tranquillity from your dis- 
course." The preacher, after reflecting a little 
on the subject, said : " What a happy dream this 
is that you have seen, which has discovered to 
me my defect, in that I have an unpleasant 
voice, and that the people are distressed at my 
preaching. I have vowed that, in future, I will 
read only in a low tone. The company of 



264 THE GULISTAN. 

friends was disadvantageous to me, because they 
look on my bad manners as excellent ; my de- 
fects appear to them skill and perfection; and 
my thorn is regarded as the rose and the jasmine. 
Where is the enemy, with an impudent and 
piercing eye, who shall point out my fault ? " 



TALE XIII. 

A CERTAIN person, who performed gratis 
the office of mowuzzin in the mosque of 
Sanjaryah, had such a voice as disgusted all 
who heard it. The intendant of the mosque, 
an Umeer, a good, humane man, being unwilling 
to offend him, said, " My lad, this mosque has 
mowuzzins of long standing, each of whom has 
a monthly stipend of five dinars ; now I will 
give you ten dinars to go to another place." 
He agreed to this proposal, and went away. 
Some time after he came to the Umeer and said, 
u O my lord, you injured me, in sending me away 
from this station for ten dinars ; for where I 
went, they will give me twenty dinars to remove 
to another place, to which I have not consented." 
The Umeer laughed, and said: " Take care, don't 
accept of the offer, for they may be willing to 
give you fifty. No one, with a mattock, can so 



ADVANTAGES OF TACITURNITY. 265 

effectually scrape off clay from the face of a 
hard stone as your discordant voice harrows up 
the soul." 



TALE XIV. 

A MAN with a disagreeable voice was read- 
ing the Koran, aloud, when a holy man 
passing by asked what was his monthly stipend. 
He answered, " Nothing at all." He resumed, 
"Why then do you take so much trouble?" 
He replied, "I read for the sake of God." The 
other rejoined, " For God's sake do not read ; 
for if you read the Koran in this manner, you 
will destroy the splendor of Islamism." 




12 



CHAPTER V. 



Of Love and Youth. 



TALE I. 

^f^) HEY asked Husn Miemundee, 
" How happens it that Sultan Mah- 




mood, having such a number of 
1-jt handsome slaves, remarkable for 
their exquisite beauty, has not such regard and 
affection for any one of them as for Iyaz, who 
has nothing extraordinary in his appearance ? " 
He replied: "Whatever affects the heart ap- 
, pears beautiful to the sight. On whomsoever 
the Sultan places his affections, although he 
doth everything that is bad, yet he will appear 
seemly. And him whom the king rejects, not 
one of the household will caress. Should any 
one look unfavorably on another, the beauty of 
Joseph would appear deformity ; and if he caste th 
the eyes of desire on a demon, he will seem a 
cherub in his sight." 



OF LOVE AND YOUTH. 267 



TALE II. 

THEY tell of a certain great man, who, 
having a very beautiful slave, for whom 
he entertained a virtuous affection, said to one 
of his friends, " What a pity it is that this slave, 
who is handsome, should be rude and insolent." 
He replied: " brother, when you profess friend- 
ship, look not for obedience ; as between the 
lover and the mistress the relationship of master 
and servant has ceased. When the master plays 
and laughs with his beautiful handmaid, what is 
the wonder if she coquets in her turn, and he 
bears the burden of her blandishments like a 
slave ? The slave ought to be employed in 
carrying water and making bricks ; he who is 
pampered becomes insolent." 



TALE III. 

I SAW a religious man so captivated by the 
beauty of a youth, that his secret became 
public, insomuch that he suffered reproach and 
uneasiness ; however, he did not relinquish his 
attachment; and said, "I will not quit the skirt 
of your garment, although yourself should smite 



268 THE GULISTAN. 

me with a sharp sword: besides thee, I have 
neither asylum nor defence : to you alone can I 
flee for refuge." Once I reproved him, and 
said, "What has happened to your excellent 
understanding, that mean inclinations should 
have been able to overpower it?" After re- 
flecting a short time, he replied, " Wherever 
the king of love cometh, the arm of piety hath 
not power to resist him. How can that poor 
wretch be clean, who has fallen up to his neck 
in a quagmire?" 



TALE IV. 

A CERTAIN person having lost his heart, 
abandoned himself to despair. The object 
of his affection being a place of danger, a whirl- 
pool ; not a morsel with which you could hope 
to gratify the palate ; not a bird that would fall 
into the net. When your sweetheart will not 
look at your gold, that metal and earth appear 
alike in your sight. His friends besought him 
to relinquish this vain imagination, many besides 
himself being seized with this hopeless idea, and 
held in captivity by it. He, lamenting, said: 
" Desire my friends not to admonish me, since 
my destiny depends on the will of another. 



OF LOVE AND YOUTH. 269 

Warriors kill their enemies by the strength of 
their hands and shoulders ; but those who are 
beautiful destroy their friends. It is not con- 
sistent with the laws of love, through fear of 
death to relinquish our attachment to our mis- 
tress. You who seek your own ease cannot be 
true in the game of love. If you cannot obtain 
access to the object of your affection, friendship 
demands that you should die in the pursuit. I 
persist, because no other course remains, even 
though my adversary covers me with wounds 
from a sword, or an arrow. If I should be able, 
I will seize her sleeve, otherwise I will go and 
expire at her threshold." His relations, who 
wished him well, and pitied his condition, admin- 
istered advice ; and fettered him, but without 
any benefit. Alas ! the physician prescribes 
aloes, whilst that sensualist requires sugar. Have 
you heard what a mistress whispered to one who 
had lost his heart ? " As long as you maintain 
your own dignity, of what value shall I appear 
in -your eyes?" They informed the king's 
son, who was the object of his attachment, " that 
there frequents this place a young man of ami- 
able manners and conversation, from whom we 
hear brilliant discourses, and wonderful sallies of 
wit ; but we apprehend that he has insanity in 
his head, and that his heart is inflamed, for he 
lias the appearance of being distractedly in love." 



270 THE GULISTAN. 

The Prince, who knew himself to be the object 
of the young man's attachment, and that he had 
raised this dust of calamity, galloped his horse 
towards him. When the youth saw that the 
Prince intended to approach him, he wept and 
said, " The person who inflicted the mortal 
wound is again coming towards me ; it should 
seem that his heart compassionateth him whom 
he hath slain." Notwithstanding, the Prince 
showed him great kindness, and asked, " From 
whence come you? what is your name ? and what 
profession do you follow ? " The youth was so 
immersed in the profundity of friendship and 
attachment, that absolutely he was not able to 
utter a word. 

Although you know the seven portions of the 
Koran by heart, when you become distracted 
with love you will not remember your alphabet. 
The Prince said, " Why do you not speak to me, 
who am numbered amongst the Durwaishes, nay, 
am devoted to their service ? " Being at length 
encouraged by the familiarity of his friend's dis- 
course, he raised up his head from the bufferings 
of the billows of affection and said, " It is won- 
derful how I can exist, when admitted to your 
presence ; and that, having heard your voice, I 
should be able to reply." Having said thus, he 
uttered an exclamation, and surrendered his 
soul to God. It would not be surprising if 



OF LOVE AND YOUTH. 271 

one should be killed at the gate of his be- 
loved, but it would be astonishing if he came 
there alive, and brought back his soul in safety. 



TALE V. 

THERE was a certain youth of most exqui- 
site beauty, to whom his tutor, through 
the frailty of human nature, became so attached, 
that he would be frequently reciting these words : 
M My mind is not so weakly engaged in the con- 
templation of your heavenly face, that I can 
preserve any recollection of myself. I cannot 
restrain my eyes from beholding you, although 
I perceive the arrow that comes directly against 
me." Once the youth said, "I entreat you to 
give the same attention to my behavior as you 
bestow on my studies ; and if you should deem 
any part of my conduct reprehensible, apprise 
me thereof, that I may endeavor to change it." 
He replied, " O my son, require this of some 
one else, for the eyes with which I view you see 
nothing but virtues. The malignant eye, which 
I wish may be torn out, regards every virtue 
as a blemish; but if you have only one excel- 
lency and seventy faults, the friend will perceive 
nothing but that single virtue." 



272 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE VI. 

I REMEMBER that one night one of my 
dearest friends entered the door, when I was 
so impatient to receive him, that in rising from 
my seat the lamp was extinguished by the 
sleeve of my garment. There appeared in a 
vision a resplendent form whose brightness il- 
lumined the darkness of the night. I was 
astonished how my good fortune could have 
bestowed such a. treasure. He sat down and 
began to complain, that at sight of him I had 
put out the lamp. I replied, " I thought it was 
sunrise ; and as the wits have said, if an ugly 
person should stand before the candle, arise and 
smite him in the midst of the assembly; but 
should it prove to be one whose smiles and 
whose lips are sweet, lay hold of her sleeve, and 
put out the light." 



TALE VII. 

A PERSON who had not seen his friend 
for a long time said, " Where have you 
been whilst I was so anxious to hear of you?" 
He answered: "It is better to desire than to 
loathe. You have come late, O intoxicated 






OF LOVE AND YOUTH. 273 

idol ; I will not let you escape from me again 
quickly. It is, however, better to see a sweet- 
heart after intervals of absence, than to be 
satiated with a continuance of her company. 
The unstress, when she comes accompanied by 
my rivals, can only do so to torment me, be- 
cause such society must excite envy and conten- 
tion. When thou comest to visit me accom- 
panied by my rivals, although you appear 
peaceable, yet your intention is hostile. If 
my mistress associates with my rival only for an 
instant, I shall soon die of jealousy." Smiling, 
he replied, " O Saadi, I am the candle of the 
assembly ; what is it to me if the moth will 
consume itself? " 



TALE VIII. 

1 REMEMBER that in former times I asso- 
ciated so continually with a friend, that we 
were like a double almond. A journey unex- 
pectedly happened. When I returned, he began 
to reproach me for having been so long absent 
without sending a messenger. I replied : " It 
seemed distressing to me, that the eyes of a 
courier should be enlightened by your counte- 
nance, whilst I was deprived of that happiness. 

12* R 



274: THE GULISTAK 

Tell my old friend not to impose a vow upon 
me, for I would not vow to relinquish him not 
from the dread of a sword. I cannot endure 
the thoughts of any one seeing you to satiety. 
Again I say, it is impossible for any one to be 
satiated with your company." 



TALE IX. 

I SAW a learned man captivated by nis at- 
tachment for a person, and submitting with 
incredible patience to his insolent behavior. 
Once by way of admonition I said to him, I 
know that there is nothing criminal in your 
attachment to this person, and that this friend- 
ship is founded on pure virtue ; nevertheless, it 
is unbecoming the dignity of a learned man to 
expose himself to calumny, and to suffer insult 
from rude people. He replied: " O friend, cease 
to reproach my destiny, for I have frequently 
reflected on the subject you mention, and find it 
easier to suffer injury on his account than to 
relinquish him ; and the sages have said, that it 
is easier to reconcile the heart to labor than to 
refuse your eyes the sight of a beloved object. 
Whosoever hath given his heart to a beloved 
object, has put his beard into the hands of 



OF LOVE AND YOUTH. 275 

another. If he without whom you cannot live 
should commit violence, you must submit to it. 
A deer with a halter round his neck cannot go 
where he pleaseth." One day I said to him : 
" Beware of this Mend, and many times since 
have I implored forgiveness. A lover cannot 
abstain from the object of his affection. I have 
placed my heart under her direction : whether 
she calls me to her in kindness, or rejects me 
with severity, it is her pleasure," 



TALE X. 

IN the season of my youth it happened, as you 
know, that I formed a strict intimacy with a 
handsome youth, because he had a melodious 
voice, and a form beautiful as the full moon just 
appearing above the horizon. The down of his 
chin seemed nourished by the water of immor- 
tality; whosoever beheld his sweet lips, tasted 
sugar candy. It happened that I discovered 
something in his behavior that (fid not accord 
with my disposition, whereupon I quitted his 
company, and, taking up the pieces from the 
game of friendship, I said, " Get away, and go 
where you please; if you will not follow my 
advice, take your own course." As he was de- 



276 THE GULISTAN. 

parting I heard him say, " If the bat does not 
choose to associate with the sun, the splendor of 
the luminary will not thereby be diminished. " 
Having said thus, he set out on a journey, and I 
experienced much disquietude at the separation. 
The opportunity of intercourse was lost. No 
one knows the value of pleasure until he has 
suffered adversity. Eeturn thou and put me to 
death, for to die in your presence is better than 
to live in your absence. However, by the bless- 
ing of God after a time he returned. But he 
had lost the melodious voice of David ; and his 
beauty that had resembled Joseph was faded, 
his chin being covered with dust like the quince, 
so that the incomparable splendor of his beauty 
was obscured. He expected that I should have 
catched him in my arms ; when, stepping aside, 
I said : " At the time that you flourished in the 
flower of youth, you drove away those who 
wished to behold you ; but now you return in 
peace, with the lines of manhood in your coun- 
tenance. The verdant foliage of spring is be- 
come yellow. Put not the kettle on the hearth, 
for our fire is cooled. How long w 7 ill your pride 
and vanity last ? Reflect that the season of your 
power is elapsed. Go to him who wants you, 
sport yourself with those who are willing to buy 
you. It has been said that verdure is delightful 
in the garden, and he who says thus knoweth 



OF LOVE AND YOUTH. 211 

it ; or, in other words, the down on the chin of 
youth is what we admired ; your garden is a 
bed of leeks, which the more they are plucked 
out, grow the stronger. 

" You departed last year beautiful as a deer, 
but are returned spotted like a leopard. Saadi 
admiers the down of youth, and not hairs like a 
packing-needle. Whether you allow your beard 
to remain or pull it out, still the season of youth 
will pass away. If I had such power over my 
life as you have over your beard, it should never 
depart until the day of resurrection." I asked 
him, " What is become of the beauty of your 
face, that ants are sprung up round the moon?" 
He smiled and replied, "I know not what has 
befallen my face, excepting that I am in mourn- 
ing for my departed beauty." 



TALE XI. 

THEY asked one of the inhabitants of 
Baghdad his opinion of handsome youths. 
He replied,: "No good is to be found amongst 
them, as long as they appear delicate ; for then 
they are insolent ; but when they become rough, 
they are courteous ; or, in other words, whilst 
handsome and delicate their behavior is rude, 



278 THE GULISTAN. 

when they become rough they are kind and 
friendly. The youth, whilst his face continues 
smooth, has bitter words and a morose disposi- 
tion ; when his beard appears, and he is arrived 
at manhood, he mixes with society and cultivates 
friendship." 



TALE XII. 

THEY asked a learned man, " If a man is 
sitting in a secret place, with a beautiful 
girl, the doors shut, and the rivals asleep, 
the passions inflamed, and lust raging, as the 
Arabs say, the dates ripe, and the watchman not 
hindering, whether he thought his virtue would 
protect him? " 

He replied : "If he escapes from the beauti- 
ful girl, he will not escape from slanderers. If 
the man has not suffered his passions to over- 
come his virtue, yet the suspicious world will 
think ill of him. One may perchance restrain 
his passions, but he will not be able to curb 
men's tongues." 



OF LOVE AND YOUTH. 279 



TALE XIII. 

THEY shut up a crow in the same cage 
with a parrot, who, distressed at the 
other's ugly appearance, was saying : " What is 
this detestable countenance, this odious form, 
this cursed object with unpolished manners ? 
Thou crow of the desert, would to God we were 
as far asunder as the east is from the west. 
"Whosoever should behold your face when he is 
rising, it would convert a goodly morning into a 
dark evening. Such an ill-fated wretch should 
have a companion like yourself: but where in 
the world can your equal be found ? " What is 
most strange, the crow was equally distressed 
by the society of the parrot, and, lamenting his 
fate, complained of the vicissitudes of fortune, 
and, rubbing the claws of sorrow one against the 
other, was saying: "What ill luck, what mean 
fate, what a reverse of fortune ! It suited my 
dignity to be strutting on a garden wall in com- 
pany with another crow. It is sufficient im- 
prisonment for a holy man, that he should be 
compelled to associate with profligates. How 
far have I sinned, that in punishment thereof 
my life should be spent in company with such a 
worthless, conceited prattler. No one will ap- 
proach a wall on which your picture is painted. 



280 THE GU LI STAN. 

If you had admittance into paradise, every one 
would prefer hell to your company." I have 
brought this example to show, that, how much 
soever men of understanding may despise the 
ignorant, these are an hundred times more dis- 
tressed in the company of the wise. 

A devotee being at a singing-party in com- 
pany with some profligates, one of the beauties 
of Balk said to him: "If you are displeased, 
„don't look sour, for you are bitter enough to us 
already. In an assemblage of roses and tulips, 
you resemble a dry stick placed in the midst; 
or like a contrary wind, or intense coldness, or 
driven snow, or frozen ice." 



TALE XIV. 

I HAD a friend with whom I travelled many 
years ; we ate our bread and salt together, 
and enjoyed the rights of friendship to an un- 
common degree. Afterwards, on account of 
same paltry advantage, he suffered me to be 
displeased, and our intimacy ceased. But not- 
withstanding this difference, there still subsisted 
a cordial attachment on both sides ; for I heard 
that he was one day reciting in a company these 
verses of mine : " When my mistress comes 



OF LOVE AND YOUTH, 281 

with sweet smiles, she adds more salt to the 
wound ; how happy should I be if the tips of her 
ringlets could fall into my hand, like the sleeve 
of the liberal man into the hands of the poor." 
A number of friends who were present praised the 
verses, not for any merit that they possessed, but 
from the generosity of their own dispositions ; he 
extolled them more than any one, and, regretting 
the loss of a long-established friendship, con- 
fessed that he had been to blame. Perceiving 
that he was inclined to a reconciliation, I sent 
these verses, and made peace with him : " Was 
there not a treaty of fidelity between us, that 
you offended me, and showed me a want of 
affection ? I quitted society and fixed my heart 
on you, not suspecting that you would so soon 
have changed. But now, if you are inclined to 
peace, return ; and you shall be dearer to me 
than you w^ere before." 



TALE XV. 

A PERSON having a handsome wife who 
died, her mother, a decrepit old woman, 
for the sake of the dower, settled in his house. 
He was teased to death by her society, but, on 
account of the dower, he had no remedy for the 



282 THE GULISTAN. 

evil. One of his acquaintance asked him how 
he found himself since his separation from his 
dearly beloved wife. He replied: "Not see- 
ing my wife is not so distressing as the sight of 
her mother. The rose is plucked, but the thorn 
remains. They have carried off the treasure, 
but the snake remains. It is better to see one's 
eye fixed on the point of a spear, than to look at 
the face of an enemy. It is better to break off 
a thousand friendships, than to endure the sight 
of a single enemy." 



TALE XVI. 

I RECOLLECT that in my youth, as I was 
passing through a street, I cast my eyes on 
a beautiful girl. It was in the autumn, when 
the heat dried up all moisture from the mouth, 
and the sultry wind made the marrow boil in 
the bones ; so that, being unable to support the 
sun's powerful beams, I was obliged to take 
shelter under the shade of a wall, in hopes that 
some one would relieve me from the distressing 
heat of summer, and quench my thirst with a 
draught of water. Suddenly from the shade of 
the portico of a house I beheld a female form, 
whose beauty it is impossible for the tongue of 



OF LOVE AND YOUTH. 283 

eloquence to describe ; insomuch that it seemed 
as if the dawn was rising in the obscurity of 
night, or as if the water of immortality was issu- 
ing from the land of darkness. She held in her 
hand a cup of snow-water, into which she 
sprinkled sugar, and mixed it with the juice x of 
the grape. I know not whether what I per- 
ceived was the fragrance of rose-water, or that 
she had infused into it a few drops from the 
blossom of her cheek. In short, I received the 
cup from her beauteous hand, and drinking the 
contents, found myself restored to new life. 
The thirst of my heart is not such that it can be 
allayed with a drop of pure water ; the streams 
of whole rivers would not satisfy it. How 
happy is that fortunate person whose eyes every 
morning may behold such a countenance. He 
who is intoxicated with wine will be sober again 
in the course of the night; but he who is in- 
toxicated by the cupbearer, will not recover his 
senses until the day of judgment. 



TALE XVII. 

IN the same year that Sultan Mohammed 
Khovaruzm Shall, for some weighty reason, 
made peace with the king of Khatai, I en- 



284 THE GU LI STAN. 

tered the mosque of Cashghur, where I saw 
a boy of incomparable beauty, and remarkably 
elegant in his form, such as those who have 
been thus described : — " The master perfected 
you in bold and captivating manners, in tyranny, 
blandishment, forwardness, and severity. I never 
saw any mortal possessed of such beauty, such 
temper, such stature, and accomplishments, but 
you may have been instructed by a Fairy." 
He held in his hand the introduction to the 
syntax of Zemukhshery, and was repeating, 
" Zeid struck Omar, and became the injurer of 
Omar." I said, " Young man, Khovaruzm and 
Khatai have made peace ; and does there still 
continue the contention between Omar and 
Zeid?" He laughed, and asked where I was 
bora ? I answered, at Shiraz. He asked, 
" What have you of Saadi's compositions ? " I 
replied in Arabic, "I am enamored with the 
student of syntax who attacks me as furiously as 
Zeid does Omar, and is so intent on repeating 
his lesson, that he lifts not up his head ; for how 
can the disdainful person look upon others ? " 
He replied, " The greater part of his verses to 
be met with in this country are in the Persian 
language ; if you would repeat some of those, we 
should more readily comprehend them. Speak 
to men according to their capacity." Whilst 
you fix your attention on syntax, our minds are 



OF LOVE AND YOUTH. 285 

bereft of reason. Alas, thou ravisher of hearts ! I 
am thinking on you only, and you are engrossed 
by Omar and Zeid. Probably some of ,the 
caravan had told him that I was Saadi, for on 
the morning of our departure I saw him come 
running ; he showed kindness and lamented my 
departure, saying, " How was it that you should 
have been so long without telling that you are 
Saadi, in order that I might have rendered you 
every service in my power ? " I answered, That 
I had not power to discover myself in his pre- 
sence. He added, " What objection can there 
be to your remaining here, and favoring us with 
your company a few days longer ? " I replied, 
" I cannot on account of the following incident, 
which once befell me. I saw in the mountain a 
wise man, who having retired from the world 
dwelt in a cave. I asking why he did not fre- 
quent the city to relieve his mind, he replied, 
There dwelt many of exquisite beauty ; and 
where there is much clay the elephants lose 
their footing." After making this speech, we 
mutually kissed, and bade each other adieu. 
What benefit is there in kissing the cheek of a 
friend at the instant that you are bidding him 
adieu ? It is like an apple with one cheek red 
and the other yellow. If I die not of grief on 
the day that I bid adieu, you will not consider 
me faithful in friendship. 



286 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XVIII. 

ADURWAISH accompanied me in the 
caravan to Mecca, on whom one of the 
nobles of Arabia had bestowed a hundred dinars 
for the support of his family. Suddenly a band 
of robbers of the tribe of Khufacheh attacked 
the caravan and plundered it of everything. 
The merchants began to cry and lament, and 
uttered useless complaints. Whether you sup- 
plicate, or whether you complain, the thief will 
not restore the money. The Durwaish was the 
only exception ; he remaining unshaken, and not 
at all affected by the adventure. I said to him, 
" Perhaps they have not taken your money." 
He answered : " Yes, they carried it off, but 
I was not so fond of it as to be distressed 
at losing it. A man ought not to fix his heart 
on any thing or person ; because it is a difficult 
matter to remove the heart therefrom." I re- 
plied : " Your words suit my circumstances ex- 
actly ; for in my youth I contracted a friendship 
for a young man, with so warm an attachment, 
that his beauty was the Keblah of my eyes, and 
his society the chief comfort of my life. No 
mortal on earth ever possessed so beautiful a 
form ; perhaps he was an angel from Heaven, 
After his decease, I swore never again to culti- 



OF LOVE AND YOUTH. 287 

vate friendship, because no other mortal can 
ever equal him. His sudden death overwhelmed 
his family in the deepest affliction. I continued 
at his grave for many days, and this is one of the 
sentences which I uttered on the loss of him : 
' Would to God that on the day when fate over- 
took thee, the hand of destiny had also smitten 
me with the sword of death, that I might not 
thus have been left to behold the world without 
thee. Alas ! here am I on your grave, whilst I 
wish that my head was buried in the earth.' 

" He who could never take rest until he had 
spread roses and narcissuses, through the vicissi- 
tude of Heaven the roses of his cheek are scat- 
tered, whilst thorns and briers grow over his 
grave. After a separation from him, I came to 
a fixed determination that, during the remainder 
of my days, I would fold up the carpet of pleas- 
ure, and abstain from society. It would be 
profitable to explore the ocean, but for the dread 
of the waves. The society of the rose would be 
delightful, but for the fear of thorns. Yesterday 
I walked proudly as the peacock in the garden 
of society ; but now, from the absence of my 
friend, I am contorted like the snake." 



288 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XIX. 

THEY related to one of the kings of Arabia 
the story of Leila and Mujnoon, and the 
nature of his insanity, that, whilst endowed with 
eminent virtues, and possessing uncommon pow- 
ers of eloquence, he had abandoned himself to 
distraction, and retired into the desert. The 
king ordered him to be brought before him, and 
when he came, reproachfully asked him w^hat he 
had. seen unworthy in human nature, to have 
induced him to assume the manners of the 
brutes, and to relinquish the pleasures of society. 
Mujnoon wept, and said : " Many of my friends 
reproach me for my love of Leila : will they 
never behold her charms, that my excuse may 
be accepted ? Would to Heaven that they who 
blame me for my passion could see thy face, O 
thou ravisher of hearts ! that at the sight of thee 
they might be confounded, and inadvertently 
cut their hands instead of the lemon." The 
king being curious to behold her beauty, that he 
might be able to judge of the form which had 
occasioned so much calamity, ordered her to be 
brought. They searched among the Arabian 
families, and having found her, brought her be- 
fore the king, in the courtyard of the palace. 
The king contemplated her appearance, and 



OF LOVE AXD YOUTH. 289 

beheld a person of dark complexion, and weak 
form, insomuch that he thought her so con- 
temptible that the meanest servant of his harem 
surpassed her in beauty and elegance. Mujnoon 
having penetration enough to discover what was 
passing in the king's mind, said : " O king, the 
beauty of Leila must be seen with the eyes of 
Mujnoon ! Thou hast no compassion on my dis- 
order ; my companion should be affected with 
the same malady, that I might sit all day repeat- 
ing my tale to him; for two pieces of wood bum 
together with a brighter flame. The discourse 
concerning the verdant plain, which has reached 
my ears ; had the leaves on that plain heard it, 
they would have joined their complaints with 
mine. O my friends ! say to them who are free 
from love, O we wish that you knew what 
passes hi the heart of a lover ! The pain of a 
wound affects not those who are in health. I 
will not disclose my grief but to those who have 
tasted the same affliction. It were fruitless to 
talk of a hornet to them who never felt the 
sting. Whilst thy mind is not affected like 
mine, the relation of my sorrow seems only an 
idle tale. Compare not my anguish to the cares 
of another man ; he only holds the salt in his 
hand, but it is I who bear the wound in my 
body." 

13 S 



290 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XX. 

THEY tell a story of a Cazy of Hamadan, 
that he was enamored with a farrier's 
beautiful daughter to such a degree, that his 
heart was inflamed by his passion like a horse- 
shoe red hot in a forge. For a long time he 
suffered great inquietude, and was running about 
after her in the manner which has been de- 
scribed : " That stately cypress coming into my 
sight, has captivated my heart and deprived me 
of my strength, so that I lie prostrate at her feet. 
Those mischievous eyes drew my heart into the 
snare. If you wish to preserve your heart, shut 
your eyes. I cannot by any means get her out 
of my thought : I am the snake with a bruised 
head: I cannot turn myself." I have heard 
that she met the Cazy in the street, and some- 
thing having reached her ears concerning him, 
she was displeased beyond measure, and abused 
and reproached him without mercy, flung a stone, 
and did everything to disgrace him. The Cazy 
said to a respectable man of learning who was 
in his company : " Behold that beauteous girl, 
how rude she is ! behold her arched eyebrow, 
what a sweet frown it exhibits ! In Arabic they 
say, that a blow from the hand of her we love 
is as sweet as raisins. To receive a blow on the 



OF LOVE AND YOUTH, 291 

moutli from thy hand, is preferable to eating 
bread from one's own hand." Then again she 
tempered her severity with a smile of benefi- 
cence, as kings sometimes speak with hostility, 
when they inwardly desire peace. 

Unripe grapes are sour, but keep them a day 
or two and they will become sweet. The Cazy 
haying said thus, repaired to his court. Some 
well-disposed persons, who were in his service, 
made obeisance, and said: " That with permis- 
sion they would represent a matter to him, al- 
though it might be deemed unpolite, as the Sages 
have said, It is not allowable to argue on every 
subject ; it is criminal to describe the faults of 
a great personage ; but that, in consideration of 
the kindness which his servants had experienced 
from him, not to represent what to them appears 
advisable, is a species of treachery. The laws 
of rectitude require that you should conquer this 
inclination, and not give way to unlawful de- 
sires, for the office of Cazy is a high dignity, 
which ought not to be polluted with a crime. 
You are acquainted with your mistress's char- 
acter, and have heard her conversation. She 
who has lost her reputation, what cares she for 
the character of another? It has frequently 
happened that a good name acquired in fifty 
years has been lost by a single imprudence." 

The Cazy approved the admonition of his cor- 



292 THE GULISTAN. 

dial friends, praised their understanding and 
fidelity, and said : " The advice which my friends 
have given, in regard to my situation, is perfectly 
right, and their arguments are unanswerable. 
Of a truth, if friendship was to be lost on 
our giving advice, then the just might be ac- 
cused of falsehood. Reprehend me as much 
as you please, but you cannot wash the blacka- 
moor white." Having said thus, he sent people 
to inquire how she did, and spent a great deal 
of money, according to the saying, " He who 
has money in the scales, has strength in his arms ; 
and he who has not the command of money, is 
destitute of friends in the world. Whosoever 
sees money, lowers his head like the beam of 
the scales, which stops although it be made of 
iron." 

To be brief, one night he obtained a meet- 
ing in private, and the superintendent of the 
police was immediately informed of the cir- 
cumstance, that the Cazy passed the whole 
night in drinking wine and fondling his mis- 
tress. He was too happy to sleep, and was 
singing, " That the cock had not crowed that 
night at the usual hour." The lovers were not 
yet satisfied with each other's company; the 
cheeks of the mistress were shining between her 
curling ringlets like the ivory ball in the ebony 
bat in the game of Chowgong. In that instant, 



OF LOVE AND YOUTH. 293 

when the eve of enmity is asleep, be thou upon 
the watch, lest some mischance befall you ; until 
you hear the mouzzin proclaiming the hour of 
prayer ; or the sound of the kettle-drum from 
the gate of the police of Atabuk, it would be 
foolishness to cease kissing at the crowing of the 
foolish cock. The Cazy was in this situation 
when one of his servants, entering, said: " Why 
are you sitting thus ? Arise, and run as fast as 
your feet can carry you, for your enemies have 
laid a snare for you ; nay, they have said the 
truth. But whilst this fire of strife is yet but 
a spark, extinguish it with the water of good 
management; for it may happen that to-morrow, 
when it breaks out into a flame, it will spread 
throughout the world." The Cazy, smiling, 
looked on the ground and said : " If the lion has 
his paw on the game, what signifies it if the dog 
should come. Turn your face towards your 
mistress, and let your rival bite the back of his 
hand." That very night they carried intelligence 
to the king of the wickedness which had been 
committed in his dominions, and begged to know 
his commands. He answered: "I believe the 
Cazy to be the most learned man of the age ; 
and it is possible that this may be only a plot 
of his enemies to injure him. I will not give 
credit to this story without I see proofs with 
mine own eyes ; for the Sages have said, He 



294 THE GULISTAN. 

who quickly lays hold of the sword in his 
anger, will gnaw the back of his hand through 
sorrow." I heard that at the dawn of day, the 
king with some of his principal courtiers came 
to the Cazy's bedchamber. He saw the candle 
burning, and the mistress sitting down, with the 
wine spilt and the glass broken ; and the Cazy 
stupefied between sleep and intoxication, lost 
to all sense of his existence. The king kindly 
waked him, and said, " Get up, for the sun is 
risen." The Cazy, perceiving him, asked from 
what quarter has the sun risen ? " The king 
answered, " From the east" The Cazy replied, 
" God be praised ! then the door of repentance is 
still open, according to the tradition, the gate of 
repentance shall not be shut against the servants 
of God, until the sun shall rise in the west " ; 
adding, " Now I ask pardon of God, and vow to 
him that I will repent. These two things have 
led me unto sin, — ill-fortune and a weak un- 
derstanding. If you seize me, I deserve it ; 
but if you pardon me, forgiveness is better than 
vengeance." 

The king said : " Repentance can now avail 
nothing, as you know that you are about to suf- 
fer death. What good is there in a thief s re- 
pentance, when he has not the power of throwing 
a rope into the upper story. Tell him who is 
tall not to pluck the fruit, for he of low stature 



OF LOVE AND YOUTH. 295 

cannot extend his arm to the branch. To you 
who have been convicted of such wickedness, 
there can be no hopes of escape." The king, 
having said thus, ordered the officers of justice 
to take charge of him. The Cazy said, " I have 
yet one word to speak to your Majesty." He 
asked, " What is it ? " He replied : " As long 
as I labor under your displeasure, think not that 
I will let go the skirt of your garment. Although 
the crime which I have committed may be un- 
pardonable, still I entertain some hopes from 
your clemency." The king said: "You have 
spoken with admirable facetiousness and wit, but 
it is contrary to reason and to law that your wis- 
dom and eloquence should rescue you from the 
hand of justice. To me it seems advisable that 
you should be flung headlong from the top of 
the castle to the earth, as an example for others." 
He replied, " O monarch of the universe, I 
have been fostered in your family, and am not 
singular hi the commission of such crimes ; there- 
fore I beseech you to precipitate some one else, 
in order that I may benefit by the example." 
The king laughed at his speech, and spared his 
life, and said to his enemies, " All of you are bur- 
dened with defects of your own ; reproach not 
others with their failings. Whosoever is sen- 
sible of his own faults carps not at another's 
failing." 



296 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XXI. 

THERE was an affectionate and amiable 
youth who was betrothed to a beautiful 
girl. I have heard that as they were sailing on 
the ocean, they fell together into a whirlpool. 
When the mariners went to the young man, that 
they might catch his hand, and save him from 
perishing, in that unhappy juncture he called 
aloud, and pointed to his mistress from the midst 
of the waves, " Leave me, and take the hand of 
my beloved." The whole world admired him 
for that speech ; and when he was expiring he 
was heard to say, " Leam not the tale of love 
from that faithless wretch who forgets his be- 
loved in the hour of danger." Thus ended the 
lives of those lovers ; hearken and learn from 
those of experience, for Saadi is as conversant 
in the ways and customs of love as the Arabic 
language is familiar at Baghdad. Fix your 
heart on the mistress whom you have chosen, 
and be blind to every other earthly object. If 
Leila and Mujnoon were now living, they might 
learn the history of love from this book. 





CHAPTER VI. 

On Imbecility and Old Age. 



TALE I. 

I WAS engaged in a disputation with 
_|| some learned men in the Mosque of 
l-^-|-A' Damascus, when suddenly a young 
k man entering the mite said, "Is there 
any one amongst you who understands the Per- 
sian language ? " They pointed to me. I asked 
what was the matter. He answered : "An old 
man, of a hundred and fifty years of age, is in 
the agonies of death, and says something in the 
Persian language which we do not comprehend. 
If you will have the goodness to take the trouble 
to go, you will obtain your reward : perhaps he 
may want to make his will." When I came to 
his pillow, he said : " I was in hopes that I 
should have spent the small remnant of my life 
in ease, but I can scarcely draw my breath. 
Alas ! that at the table of variegated life I ate 
a little, and they said it is enough." I explained 

13* 



298 



THE GU LI STAN. 



to tlie Damasciens in Arabic the signification 
of the discourse. They wondered that, at his 
advanced age, he should grieve for worldly life. 
I then asked him how he found himself. He 
replied : " What can I say ? Have you not 
seen what pain he suffers who has one of his 
teeth drawn out of his mouth ? Think, then, 
what must be the state in that moment when 
the soul is departing from this precious body." 
I said : " Dismiss from your imagination the 
thoughts of death, and let not apprehension 
overcome your constitution ; for the philoso- 
phers have said, Although the animal system 
be in full vigor, yet we ought not to rely on 
its continuance ; and, on the other hand, al- 
though a disease be dangerous, yet it is no posi- 
tive proof of approaching death. If you will 
give me leave, I will send for a physician, that 
he may prescribe some medicine which may be 
the means of your recovery." He replied : 
" Alas ! The master of the house is consider- 
ing how to decorate his hall whilst the founda- 
tion is in a state of decay. The skilful physician 
smites his hands together, when he sees the old 
man broken like a potsherd. The sick man was 
lamenting in agony, whilst an old woman was 
anointing his feet with a preparation of sandal- 
wood. But when the animal temperament is 
destroyed, neither amulets nor medicines are of 
any use." 



ON IMBECILITY AXD OLD AGE. 299 



TALE II. 

AN old man, telling a story about himself, 
said ; u When I married a young virgin, 

I bedecked a chamber with flowers, sat with her 
alone, and had fixed my eyes and heart solely 
upon her. Many long nights I passed without 
sleep, repeating jests and pleasantries, to remove 
shyness, and make her familiar. On one of 
those nights I said, Fortune has been propitious 
to you, in that you have fallen into the society 
of an old man, of mature judgment, who has 
seen the world, and experienced various situa- 
tions of good and bad fortune, who knows the 
rights of society, and has performed the duties 
of friendship, one who is affectionate, affable, 
cheerful, and conversable. 

" I will exert 1113' utmost endeavors to gain your 
affection, and if you should treat me unkindly, I 
will not be offended ; or if like the parrot your 
food should be sugar, I will devote my sweet 
life to your support. You have not met with a 
youth of a rude disposition, with a weak under- 
standing, headstrong, a gadder, who would be 
constantly ' changing his situations and inclina- 
tions, sleeping every night in a new place, and 
every day forming some new intimacy. Young 
men may be lively and handsome, but they are 



300 THE GULISTAN. 

inconstant in their attachments. Look not for 
fidelity from those, who, with the eyes of the 
nightingale, are every instant singing upon a 
different rosebush. But old men pass their time 
in wisdom and good manners, not in the igno- 
rance and frivolity of youth. Seek for one better 
than yourself, and, having found him, consider 
yourself fortunate ; with one like yourself, you 
would pass your life without improvement." 

He said : "I spoke a great deal after this man- 
ner, and thought that I had made a conquest of 
her heart ; when all of a sudden she fetched a 
cold sigh from the bottom of her heart, and re- 
plied : All the fine speeches that you have been 
uttering have not so much weight in the scale 
of my reason as one single sentence which I 
heard from my nurse ; that if you plant an 
arrow in the side of a young woman, it is not so 
painful as the society of an old man. In short," 
continued he, " it was impossible to agree, and 
our differences ended in a separation. After 
the time prescribed by law, she married a young 
man of an impetuous temper, ill-natured, and in 
indigent circumstances ; so that she suffered the 
injuries of violence, with the evils of penury; 
however, she returned thanks for her lot, and 
said, God be praised, that I escaped from infer- 
nal torment, and have obtained this permanent 
blessing. Amidst all this violence, and impetu- 



ON IMBECILITY AND OLD AGE. 301 

osity of temper, I will put up with your airs, 
because you are handsome. It is better to 
burn with you in hell, than to be in paradise 
with the other. The scent of onions from a 
beautiful mouth is more fragrant than the odor 
of the rose from the hand of one who is ugly." 



TALE III. 

IN the territory of Diarbekr, I was the guest 
of a very rich old man, who had a handsome 
son. One night he said: "During my whole 
life I never had any child but this son. Near 
this place is a sacred tree, to which men resort 
to offer up then petitions. Many nights at the 
foot of this tree I besought God, until he be- 
stowed on me this son." I heard that the son 
was saying to his friends, in a low tone of voice, 
" How happy should I be to know where that 
tree grows, hi order that I might implore God 
for the death of my father." The father was 
rejoicing in his son's wisdom; whilst the son 
despised his father's decrepitude. Many years 
have elapsed since you visited your father's 
grave ; what piety have you shown towards 
your parent, that you should expect dutifulness 
from your son ? 



302 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE IV. 

ONCE in the vigor of youth I had performed 
a long journey, and at night, being fa- 
tigued, remained at the foot of a mountain. A 
debilitated old man, who arrived after the cara- 
van, said, " Why do you sleep ? get up, this is 
not a place for repose." I said to him, " How 
can I proceed, not having the use of my feet ? " 
He replied, " Have you not heard how it has 
been said, that proceeding and halting is better 
than running until you are fatigued." O ye, 
who wish to reach the end of your day's journey 
be not in haste ; listen to my counsel, and learn 
patience. The Arab horse makes two stretches 
on fall speed, and the camel travels slowly day 
and night. 



TALE V. 

AN active, pleasant, and merry youth, of 
agreeable manners, was one of our happy 
society ; sorrow in no shape entered his breast, 
laughter would not suffer him to close his lips. 
A considerable time had passed without my 
happening to meet with him. Afterwards I saw 
him with a wife and children ; his merriment 



ON IMBECILITY AND OLD AGE. 303 

had ceased, and his countenance was much al- 
tered. I asked him what was the matter. He 
replied : "When I became the father of children, 
I left off childish sport. When you are grown 
old, give up puerilities ; and leave play and jok- 
ing to youth. Look not for the sprightliness of 
youth in old age, since the stream will not re- 
turn again to the spring head. When the field 
of corn is fit for the sickle, it does not wave in 
the wind with that vigor as when it was green. 
The season of youth has elapsed ; alas ! those 
days which enlivened the heart. The lion has 
lost the strength of his paw, and like an old 
leopard, I am now contented with a cheese." 
An old woman having stained her hairs black, 
I said to her, O my little old mother, you have 
made your hair black, but cannot straighten 
your bent back. 



TALE VI. 

ONE day, through the ignorance of youth, I 
spoke sharply to my mother, which vexing 
her to the heart, she sat down in a corner and 
wept, saying : " Have you forgotten all the 
trouble that you gave me in your infancy, that 
you thus treat me with unkindness? What a 
good saying was that of an old woman to her 



304 THE GULISTAN. 

son, when she saw him able to subdue a tiger, 
having the strength of an elephant. If you had 
but recollected your time of childhood, when 
you lay helpless in my arms, you would not 
treat me with violence, now that you have the 
strength of a lion, whilst I am an old woman." 



TALE VII. 

A RICH miser having a son that was sick, 
his friends represented that he ought 
either to cause the Koran to be read from be- 
ginning to end, or else offer sacrifice, that the 
high God might restore his son to health. After 
a little consideration, he said, "It is better to 
read the Koran, as it is at hand, and the flocks 
are at a distance." A holy man hearing this, 
said : " He preferred reading the Koran because 
the words are at the tip of his tongue, and the 
money is in the inside of his heart. Alas ! if 
the performance of religious rites was to be ac- 
companied with alms, they would remain like 
the ass in the mire ; but if you require only the 
first chapter of the Koran, they will repeat it an 
hundred times." 



ON IMBECILITY AND OLD AGE. 305 



TALE VIII. 

THEY asked an old man why he did not 
marry. He answered, " I should not like 
an did woman." They said, "Marry a young 
one, since you have property." He replied, 
" Since I, who am an old man, should not be 
pleased with an old woman, how can I expect 
that a young one would be attached to me ? " 



TALE IX. 

I HAVE heard that not long ago a decrepit 
old man, in his dotage, took it into his head 
to marry ; and wedded a beautiful virgin named 
Gem, who, like a casket of jewels, had been 
concealed from the sight of men. The nuptials 
were celebrated with all the splendor usual on 
such occasions. Shortly after, he began com- 
plaining to his friends, and attempted to make it 
appear that the impudent girl had dishonored his 
family. Such strife and contention ensued be- 
tween the parties, that at last the cause was 
brought before the superintendent of the police, 
and the Cazy. When matters had come to this 
pass, Saadi said, " The girl is not to blame ; how 
can you, with your trembling hand, be able to 
bore pearls? " 



CHAPTER VII. 



Of the Effects of Education. 



TALE I. 




Mg^jr CERTAIN Vizier had a stupid son, 
whom he sent to a learned man, de- 
siring him to instruct him, in hopes 
that his capacity might improve. Af- 
ter having instructed him for some time without 
any effect, he sent a person to the father with 
this message : " Your son has no capacity, and 
has almost distracted me. When nature has 
given capacity, instruction will make impression ; 
but if iron is not of a proper temper, no polish- 
ing will make it good. Wash not a dog in the 
seven seas, for when he is wetted he will only 
be dirtier. If the ass that carried Jesus Christ 
was to be taken to Mecca, at his return he would 
still be an ass." 



OF THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. 307 



TALE II. 

A PHILOSOPHER was thus exhorting 
his sons : " My dear children, acquire 
knowledge, for on worldly riches and possessions 
no reliance can be placed : rank will be of no 
use out of your own country, and on a journey, 
money is hi danger of being lost ; for either the 
thief may carry it off all at once, or the possessor 
may consume it by degrees. But knowledge is 
a perennial spring of wealth, and if a man of 
education ceases to be opulent, yet he need not 
be sorrowful, for knowledge of itself is riches. 
A man of learning, wherever he goes, is treated 
with respect, and sits in the uppermost seat, 
whilst the ignorant man gets only a scanty fare, 
and encounters distress. After enjoying power, 
it is distressing to be obliged to obey, and he 
who has been used to caresses cannot bear 
rough usage from the world." There once 
happened an insurrection in Damascus, where 
every one deserted his habitation. The wise 
sons of a peasant became the king's ministers, 
and the stupid sons of the Vizier were reduced 
to ask charity in the village. If you want a 
paternal inheritance, acquire from your father 
knowledge, for his wealth may be spent in ten 
days. 



308 TEE GULISTAN. 



TALE III. 



A LEARNED man, who had the education 
of a king's son, beat him unmercifully, 
and treated him with the utmost severity. The 
boy, unable to bear this treatment, complained to 
his father, and stripped himself to show the 
marks of violence. The father's heart being 
troubled, he sent for the master, and said, " You 
do not use any of my subjects' children in the 
cruel manner that you treat my son ; what is 
the reason of this ? " He replied : " To dis- 
course with propriety, and to have a pleasing, 
conciliating manner, becomes mankind in gen- 
eral, but more especially kings ; because what- 
soever they say or do will certainly be in the 
mouths of every one, whilst the words and 
actions of common people are not of so much 
consequence. If a Durwaish should commit a 
hundred improprieties, his companions would 
not remark one of them ; but if a king makes 
only one improper step, it is circulated from 
kingdom to kingdom ; therefore, in forming 
the manners of young princes, more labor and 
pains should be bestowed than on the vulgar. 
He who is not taught good manners in his 
childhood, will have no good qualities when he 
arrives at manhood. You may bend green wood 



OF THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. 309 

as much as you please ; but when it is dry it 
cannot be made straight without fire. Of a 
truth you may twist the tender branches, but 
will in vain attempt to straighten dry wood." 
The king, approving of the master's wholesome 
discipline, and of the manner in which he had 
delivered his speech, bestowed on him a dress 
of honor, and a largess, and promoted him. 



TALE IV. 

I SAW a schoolmaster in Africa, who had a 
crabbed countenance, and a bitter tongue ; 
he was an enemy to humanity, mean-spirited, 
and impetuous, so that the sight of him inter- 
rupted the pleasure of Moslems, and his reading 
of the Koran distracted the hearts of men. A 
number of beautiful boys, and tender virgins, 
who were subject to his tyrannic arm, dared not 
presume to laugh, nor venture to speak ; for he 
used to smite the silver cheeks of the one, and 
would sometimes put the crystal legs of the 
other into the stocks. In short, I heard that 
some part of his conduct having been discovered, 
they beat him, and expelled him, and gave the 
school to a pious, good man, of so meek and 
patient a temper, that he never spoke a word 



310 THE GULISTAN. 

but when he was forced to it ; and nothing ever 
proceeded from his tongue that could give of- 
fence to any one. The boys had got the fear 
of the old master out of their heads, and seeing 
the new one of angelic manners, they became 
furious towards one another; and, relying on his 
forbearance, they neglected their studies, and 
spent most of their time in play, and, without 
finishing their copies, broke their tablets on one 
another's heads. When the master is relax in 
his discipline, the boys play at leap-frog in the 
market-place. A fortnight after, I passed by 
the gate of the mosque, and saw the old master, 
whom they had encouraged, and reinstated in 
his office. 

In truth, I was concerned, and invoking God, 
I said, " Why have they a second time ap- 
pointed the Devil a preceptor for angels ? " An 
experienced old man hearing me, laughed, and 
said : " Have you not heard what has been re- 
lated? A king sent his son to school, and 
placed a silver tablet under his arm. On the 
face of the tablet was written in gold, 'The 
severity of the master is better than the indul- 
gence of the father.' " 



OF THE EFFECTS OF ED UC ATI ON. 311 



TALE V. 

THE son of a religious man, who succeeded 
to an immense fortune by the will of his 
uncle, became a dissipated and debauched profli- 
gate, insomuch that he left no heinous crime 
unpractised, nor was there any intoxicating drug 
which he had not tasted. Once I admonished 
him, saying : " O my son, wealth is a running 
stream, and pleasure revolves like a millstone ; 
or, in other words, profuse expense suits him 
only who has a certain income. When you 
have no certain income, be frugal in your ex- 
penses, because the sailors have a song, that if the 
rain does not fall in the mountains, the Tigris 
will become a dry bed of sand hi the course of a 
year. Practise wisdom and virtue, and relinquish 
sensuality, for when your money is spent you will 
suffer distress, and expose yourself to shame." 

The young man, seduced by music and wine, 
would not take my advice, but, in opposition 
to my arguments, said: "It is contrary to the 
wisdom of the sages to disturb our present 
enjoyments by the dread of futurity. Why 
should they who possess fortune suffer distress 
by anticipating sorrow? Go and be merry? O 
my heart-enchanting friend ! we ought not to 
be uneasy to-day for what may happen to-mor- 



312 THE GULISTAN. 

row. How would it become me, who am placed 
in the uppermost seat of liberality, and have 
contracted an alliance, so that the fame of my 
bounty is a topic of general conversation? When 
a man has acquired reputation by liberality and 
munificence, it does not become him to tie 
up his money-bags. When your good name 
has been spread through the street, you cannot 
shut your door against it." I perceived that 
he did not approve of my admonition, and that 
my warm breath did not affect his cold iron: 
I ceased advising, and, quitting his society, re- 
turned into the corner of safety, in conformity 
to the saying of the philosophers, " Admonish 
and exhort as your duty requires ; if they mind 
not, it does not concern you. Although thou 
knowest that they will not listen, nevertheless 
speak whatever you know that is advisable. It 
will soon come to pass that you will see the silly 
fellow with his feet in the stocks, there smiting 
his hands and exclaiming, ' Alas that I did not 
listen to the wise man's advice ! ' 

After some time, that which I had predicted 
from his dissolute conduct I saw verified: he 
was clothed in rags, and begging a morsel of 
victuals. I was distressed at his wretched con- 
dition, and did not think it consistent with hu- 
manity to scratch the Durwaish's wound with 
reproach, or to sprinkle salt upon it ; but I said 



OF THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. 313 

in mv heart, ;i Profligate men, when intoxicated 
with pleasure, reflect not on the clay of pov- 
erty. The tree which in summer has a profu- 
sion of fruit, is consequently without leaves in 
winter." 



TALE VI. 

A KING placed his son with a preceptor, 
and said, " This is your son ; educate him 
in the same manner as one of your own." The 
preceptor took pains with hhn for a year, 
but without success, whilst his own sons were 
completed in learning and accomplishments. 
The king reprimanded the preceptor, and said, 
" You have broken your promise, and not acted 
faithfully." He replied, " O king, the education 
was the same, but the capacities are different. 
Although silver and gold are produced from 
a stone, yet these metals are not to be found in 
every stone. The star Canopus shines all over 
the world, but the scented leather comes only 
from Yemen." 



14 



314 



THE GULISTAK 



TALE VII. 

I HAVE heard that a learned old man was 
saying to one of his scholars, "If a man 
would but fix his mind as much on God as he 
does on worldly goods, he would surpass the 
angels. God did not forget you when you were 
as yet unformed in the womb, but bestowed on 
you a soul, with reason, temper, intellect, beauty, 
speech, judgment, reflection, and sensation ; he 
furnished thy hands with ten fingers, and set 
two arms on thy shoulders. Dost thou think, O 
worthless wretch, that he will neglect to provide 
thee with daily bread ? " 



TALE VIII. 

1SAW an Arab who said to his son, " O my 
child, in the day of resurrection they will 
ask you, what have you done in the world ; and 
not from whom are you descended ? " That is, 
they will inquire about your virtue, and not 
about your father. " The cloth that covers the 
Kaaba, and which they kiss, is not famous from 
having been manufactured by the silkworm ; it 
associated some days with one who is venerable, 
on which account it became venerable like him- 
self." 



OF THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. 315 



TALE IX. 

IN the writings of the sages, they have related 
that scorpions are not produced according to 
the ordinary course of nature, as other animals, 
for that they devour the mother's entrails, and 
tear open her belly, and flee to the desert ; and 
the skins winch are found in the holes of scor- 
pions give proof of this matter. I mentioned 
this extraordinary circumstance to a wise man, 
who said, "My heart bears evidence to the truth 
of the observation ; and it cannot be otherwise ; 
for since in their infancy they behaved so to- 
wards their parents, therefore they are thus ap- 
proved and beloved in riper age." A father 
exhorted his son, saying, " Young man, store up 
this lesson in your memory, — He who is not 
grateful to those who gave him birth will never 
be favored by fortune." They asked a scorpion 
why he did not stir abroad in the winter ; he 
replied, " What reputation have I in summer, 
that I should come again in whiter?" 



316 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE X. 

THE wife of a Durwaish was with child, 
and the term of pregnancy completed. 
The Durwaish, who never yet had a son, said, 
" If the Almighty will grant me a. son, I will 
distribute jn charity to the poor all that I possess, 
excepting the religious habit on my back." It 
happened that his wife was delivered of a son, 
at which he rejoiced, and made an entertain- 
ment for his friends, conformably to his vow. 
Some years after, when I returned from a jour- 
ney to Damascus, I passed by the place where 
the Durwaish had dwelt, and asked how he 
went on. They told me he was in the town 
jail. I asked the reason. They replied, " His 
son got drunk, had a quarrel, and killed a man, 
and fled out of the city, on which account they 
had put a chain about the father's neck, and 
heavy fetters on his feet." I said : " His own 
prayer brought down this misfortune from God. 
O men of understanding, it is better, in the 
opinion of the wise, that a woman in labor 
should bring forth a serperit than wicked chil- 
dren." 



OF THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. 317 



TALE XI. 

WHEN I was a boy, I was conversing with 
a holy man about manhood, who re- 
plied that the greatest proof of being arrived at 
a state of maturity, was one's being more intent 
on the means of pleasing the Almighty than 
how to gratify the passions; and he added, that 
whosoever possesses not this disposition, the pro- 
foundly learned do not consider in a state of 
puberty. A drop of water, after remaining forty 
days in the womb, obtained the human form; 
but if a person forty years of age hath not under- 
standing and good manners, of a truth he ought 
not to be called a man. Manhood is composed 
of liberality and benevolence ; do not imagine 
that it consists merely in the material form ; 
virtue also is requisite ; for a human figure may 
be painted on the gate of the palace, with ver- 
milion and verdigris. When a man hath not 
virtue and benevolence, what is the difference 
between him and the figure on the wall ? It is 
not wisdom to acquire worldly wealth, but to 
gain one single heart. 



318 THE GU LI ST AN. 



TALE XII. 

ON a certain year there happened a quarrel 
amongst the pilgrims, who were going on 
foot to Mecca, and I was also of that number. 
They recriminated on one another, but at length 
we adjusted their differences. I heard one, 
sitting in a litter, say to his companion : " How 
wonderful that the ivory pawns in the game of 
chess on crossing the whole board become viziers 
(or queens), increasing their quality; but that 
the foot pilgrims to Mecca, after passing the 
whole desert, are worse than at first. Say from 
me to thte Hajee who injures and lacerates the 
skin of his fellow-creature, Thou art not so true 
a pilgrim as the poor camel, who feeds on thistles 
and carries a load." 



TALE XIII. 

AN" Indian was teaching others how to make 
fireworks, when a wise man said to him, 
" This is not a fit play for you who inhabit a 
house made of reeds." 

Until you are persuaded that the discourse is 



OF THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. 319 

strictly proper, speak not; and whatever you 
know will not obtain a favorable answer, ask 
not. 



TALE XIV. 

A LITTLE man, being struck with a pain 
in his eyes, went to a farrier, desiring him 
to apply a remedy. The farrier, applying to his 
eyes what he was used to administer to quad- 
rupeds, the man became blind ; upon which he 
complained to the magistrate. The magistrate 
said : " Get away, there is no plea for the 
damages ; for if this fellow had not been an ass, 
he would not have applied to the farrier. The 
application of this story is, that whosoever em- 
ploys an inexperienced person on a weighty 
matter, besides suffering repentance, will, in the 
opinion of the wise, be considered of a weak un- 
derstanding. The wise man, of enlightened 
mind, intrusts not an important business to one 
of mean abilities. The mat-maker, although a 
' weaver, yet is not employed in the silk manu- 
factory." 



320 THE GULISTAN. 



TALE XV. 

A CERTAIN great man, having lost a 
worthy son, they asked what inscription 
should be put upon his gravestone. The father 
replied : " The verses of the Koran are too 
sacred and holy to be written on such a place as 
this, exposed to be effaced by the trampling of 
men's feet, and to be defiled by dogs. If there 
is a necessity of writing something, the following 
lines will be sufficient : ' O the season when ver- 
dure bedecked the garden, then how blithe was 
my heart ! Wait, my friend, until the return 
of spring, when you will behold grass growing 
out of my clay.' " 



TALE XVI. 

A HOLY man, passing by a rich man who, 
having bound a slave hand and foot, was 
punishing him, said : " O my son, God has made 
subject to thee a human creature like thyself, 
and has given thee the superiority over him, for 
which return thanks to God, and do not suffer 
such violence to be committed. It will not be 
proper that to-morrow, in the resurrection, this 



OF THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. 321 

slave should be better than thyself, and that 
thou shouldst suffer shame." Be not angry be- 
yond measure with your slave ; oppress him not, 
neither distress Ins feelings. Thou hast bought 
him for ten direms, but after all thou didst not 
create him. To what length wilt thou carry 
this pride, insolence, and rage? thou hast a mas- 
ter greater than thyself. O thou who hast for 
thy slaves Arselan and Aghoash, forget not 
thy superior lord. There is a tradition of the 
Prophet having said, " that the greatest mor- 
tification at the day of judgment will be when 
the pious slave is carried to paradise, and the 
wicked master condemned to hell." Upon the 
slave whose services you can command, exercise 
not boundless severity nor capriciousness ; for it 
will be disgraceful in the day of reckoning to see 
the slave at liberty and the master in chains. 



TALE XVII. 

ON a certain year, I was travelling from 
Balk, with some people of Damascus, and 
the road was infested with robbers. There was 
a young man of our party, an expert handler of 
the shield, a mighty archer, a brandisher of all 
u* u 



322 THE GULISTAN. 

weapons, so strong that ten men could not draw 
his bowstring ; and the most powerful wrestler 
on the face of the earth had never brought his 
back to the ground : but he was rich, and had 
been nursed in the shade, was inexperienced in 
the world, and no traveller. The thundering 
sound of the martial drum had never reached 
his ear, neither had his eye seen the lightning of 
the horsemen's swords. He had never been 
made prisoner by the enemy, nor had the arrows 
fallen in showers around him. It happened that 
I and this young man were running together ; 
every wall that came in his way he pulled down, 
and every large tree that he saw, by the force 
of his arm he tore up by the roots. He was 
boasting, saying, " Where is the elephant, that 
you may behold the shoulders of the hero ? 
where is the lion, that you may see the fingers 
and palm of the brave man ? " We were in 
this situation, when two Indians lifted up their 
heads from behind a rock, with intention to kill 
us ; one had a stick in his hand, and the other 
a sling under his arm. I said to the young man, 
" Why do you stop ? Show your strength and 
valor, for here is the enemy within a foot of his 
grave." I saw the bow and arrows drop from 
the hand of the young man, and a trembling 
seized all his joints. Not every one who can split 
a hair with an arrow that will pierce a coat of 



OF THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. 323 

mail, is able to stand against the warrior in the 
day of battle. 

We saw no other remedy for ourselves, but 
to leave our accoutrements, surrender our arms, 
and escape with our lives. On an affair of im- 
portance employ a man of experience, who will 
bring the devouring lion into his trammels. 
A young man, though he has strength of 
arm, and is powerful as an elephant, will feel 
his joints quaking with fear in the day of 
battle. A man of experience is as well qualified 
to act in war as the learned man is to expound 
a case of law. 



TALE XVIII. 

I SAW the son of a rich man, sitting by his 
father's tomb, and disputing with the son of 
a Durwaish, saying, " My father's monument is 
of stone, the inscription is in gold, and the pave- 
ment is made of marble tessellated with turquoise- 
colored bricks. What is your father's grave 
but a couple of bricks laid together, and sprinkled 
with a handful of earth ? " The son of the Dur- 
waish on hearing this said, " Hold your tongue, 
for before your father can move himself from 
under this heavy stone, mine will have arrived 



324 THE GULISTAN. 

at paradise." There is a saying of the Prophet, 
" That to the poor death is a state of rest." 
The ass who carries the lightest burden travels 
easiest. In like manner the Durwaish who 
bears the burden of poverty will enter the gate 
of death lightly loaded ; whilst he who lives 
in affluence, with ease and comfort, will doubtless, 
on that very account, find death terrible. And, 
in every view, the captive who is released from 
confinement is happier than the nobleman who 
is taken prisoner. 



TALE XIX. 

THEY inquired of a religious man the 
meaning of this tradition, — " You have 
not any enemy so powerful as the passion of 
lust, which is within you." He replied : " Be- 
cause that any enemy to whom you show kind- 
ness becomes your friend, excepting lust, the in- 
dulgence of which increases its enmity." By 
abstinence a man may obtain the disposition of 
an angel, but if you eat like a beast, you will be 
degraded to an inanimate fossil. Those whom 
you gratify, become obedient to-your command ; 
but lust, on the contrary, when indulged, is 
rebellious. 




OF THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. 325 



TALE XX.. 

I SAW, sitting in a company, a certain per- 
son who wore the habit of a Durwaish, but 
without possessing the disposition of one ; and 
being inclined to be querulous, he had opened 
the book of complaint, and began censuring the 
rich. The discourse was turning on this point, 
that Durwaishes have not the means, and the 
rich not the inclination, to be charitable. Those 
possessed of liberal minds have no command 
of money, and the wealthy worldlings have no 
munificence. 

To me, who owe my support to the bounty 
of the great, this language was not at all grate- 
ful. I said: "O my friend, the rich are the 
revenue of the poor, a storehouse for the re- 
cluse, the pilgrim's hope, and the asylum of 
travellers. They are the bearers of burdens 
for the relief of others. Themselves eat along 
with their dependants and inferiors, and the re- 
mainder of their bounty is applied to the relief 
of widows, aged people, relations, and neighbors. 
The rich are charged with pious dedications, 
the performance of vows, the rites of hospital- 
ity, alms, offerings, the manumission of slaves, 
gifts, and sacrifices. By what means can you 
attain to their power, who can perform only your 



326 THE GULISTAN. 

genuflexions, and even those with a hundred 
difficulties ? The rich perform both moral and 
religious duties in the most perfect manner, 
because they possess wealth, out of which they 
bestow alms ; their garments are clean, and their 
reputation spotless, with minds void of care. 
For the power of obedience is found in good 
meals, the truth of worship in a clean garment. 
For what strength can there be with an empty 
stomach ? what bounty from an empty hand ? 
how can the fettered feet walk ? and from the 
hungry belly what munificence can be expected? 
He sleeps uneasily at night who knows not how 
to provide for to-morrow. The ants store up in 
summer, that in winter they may enjoy rest. 
Leisure and poverty are not found together, 
and satisfaction dwelleth not with distress. One 
is standing up to evening prayers, whilst the 
other is sitting down wishing for his supper. 
How can these two be compared together ? He 
who possesses wealth is busied in devotion, whilst 
he who is distressed in his circumstances has a 
disordered heart. Therefore the worship of the 
rich is more acceptable, their minds being col- 
lected and not distracted, for as they are possessed 
of the means of subsistence, they can turn their 
whole thoughts to devotion. The Arabians say, 
God defend me from distressful poverty, and 
from the neighborhood of him whom f dislike. 



OF THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. 327 

And there is a tradition from the Prophet, that 
poverty has a black countenance in both worlds." 

My antagonist asked, " Have you not heard 
that the Prophet said, ; Poverty is my glory ' ? " 

I replied : " Be silent, for the Prophet alludes 
to them who suffer in poverty of spirit, with sub- 
mission to the arrows of destiny, and not those 
who in a religious garb sell the scraps which have 
been given them in charity. O loud-sounding, 
empty drum ! how will you manage on the march 
without provisions ? If thou art a man, free 
thyself from worldly avarice, instead of turning 
in your hand a string of a thousand beads. A 
Durwaish without vital religion, will not rest 
until his poverty ends in blasphemy. He who 
is in poverty, is in danger of blasphemy. With- 
out the command of riches, you cannot clothe 
the naked, nor use means for liberating captives. 
How can such as ourselves attain to their dig- 
nity ? and what comparison is there between the 
hand that bestows and that which receives ? Do 
you not perceive that the Almighty revealed to 
us in the Koran the enjoyments of the dwellers 
in paradise ? For them are appointed fruits 
in gardens of delight, in order that you may 
know that he who is intent on gaining a subsist- 
ence is excluded from this portion of bliss, and 
that tranquillity of mind requires a fixed in- 
come. 



328- THE GULISTAN. 

" To those who are thirsty, the whole world 
appears in their .dreams a spring of water. You 
will everywhere see a person who is in distress 
commit atrocious actions without any hesitation ; 
not being deterred by the dread of future punish- 
ment, he discriminates not between law r ful and 
unlawful. If a dog is struck on the head w T ith 
a clod of earth, he jumps up with joy, thinking 
it to be a bone ; and if two persons should carry 
a corpse on their shoulders, a mean wretch 
might suppose it a tray of victuals ; but the rich 
man, whom God hath regarded with the eye 
of favor, by the performance of what is lawful 
is preserved from the commission of what is 
illegal. Thus, although I have not fully dis- 
cussed the subject, nor adduced any substantial 
proofs in support of my arguments, I rely on 
your justice for a decision. Did you ever see a 
mendicant with his arms tied to his back, or in 
prison ; or the veil of innocence rent, or the 
hand amputated (for theft), without its having 
been occasioned by poverty ? Men intrepid as 
lions are driven by want to undermine men's 
houses, and are in consequence bound by the 
heels. And it is possible that the Durwaish, at 
the instigation of lust, not having power to re- 
strain it, may commit sin. He who has in his 
possession a nymph of paradise, what inclination 
can- he entertain for the damsels of Youghma ? 



OF THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. 329 

He who hath in his hands such dates as he 
loveth, never thinketh of flinging stones at clus- 
ters on the tree. 

" In general, those in indigent circumstances 
want chastity ; as those who are starving steal 
bread. AVhen a ravenous cur gets meat, he in- 
quires not whether the flesh is of Sal eh' s camel, 
or of the ass of Bujal. Many men, naturally 
well disposed, have been led by poverty into 
wickedness, and have given their good name to 
the wind of disrepute. Amidst the cravings of 
hunger the power of abstaining ceases, poverty 
snatcheth the reins out of the hand of piety." 

At the moment that I uttered these words, the 
Durwaish's patience being exhausted, he at- 
tacked me with all the vehemence of loquacity, 
and said : " You have exaggerated their praise 
to such a degree, and have talked so extrava- 
gantly on the subject, that one would suppose 
them to be the antidote against the venom of 
poverty, and the key of the stores of Providence. 
But they are a set of proud, arrogant, self- 
conceited, abominable fellows, insatiable after 
money and possessions, intoxicated with rank 
and opulence, who speak not without insolence, 
nor behold any one but' with contempt ; the 
learned they call beggars, and the indigent they 
treat with obloquy. Proud of then riches and 
vain of that dignity of which they think them- 






330 THE GULISTAK 

selves possessed, and vaunting in their super- 
ority, they treat all others as their inferiors; 
they never think it their duty to look kindly on 
any one : ignorant of what the sages have said, 
That whosoever is inferior to others in piety, al- 
though he may exceed them in wealth, though 
in appearance a rich, is in reality a poor man. 
If an empty fellow, on account of his wealth, be- 
haves proudly towards a wise man, reckon such 
a one an ass, although he be an ambergris ox." 
I said, " Speak not disdainfully of them, as 
they are the masters of generosity." He re- 
plied: "You speak erroneously, for they are 
slaves to their money. Of what use are they, 
if they are the clouds of August, and do not 
shower down benefits ; or of what advantage, if 
they are the fountain of light, and do not shine 
on any one ; and are mounted on the steed of 
power without performing any course? They 
stir not a step in the service of God, and part 
not with a direm without distressing you with 
the obligation. They labor in amassing wealth, 
preserve it with avarice, and part with it with 
regret, verifying the saying of the sages, That 
the miser's money comes out of the earth at the 
time that he goes into it. One person by his 
exertions gets money, which another comes and 
takes away without pains or trouble." I re- 
plied : " You know nothing of the parsimony 



OF THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. 331 

of the wealthy, excepting by means of beggary ; 
for otherwise, whosoever lays aside avarice sees 
no difference between the bountiful man and 
the miser. The touchstone proves what is gold, 
and the beggar him who is stingy." 

He said: "I speak of them from experience, 
for they keep a guard at their gate, and station 
rude, violent men to deny admittance to their 
dearest friends, and these, seizing the collars of 
men of distinction, declare that nobody is at 
home ; and verily they say truly. He who 
hath neither wisdom, liberality, prudence, nor 
judgment, of him the porter says rightly, that 
no one is in the house." I replied : " In this 
they are excusable, because they are teased 
out of their lives with importunate solicitations, 
and tormented with beggarly petitions : and it 
is a contradiction to reason to suppose that, if 
the sands of the desert were converted into 
pearls, they would satisfy the eyes of the beg- 
gars. The eye of an avaricious man cannot be 
satisfied with wealth, any more than a well can 
be filled by dew. Hatim Tai was an inhabitant 
of the desert; had he dwelt in a city, he would 
have been overwhelmed by the importunities of 
beggars, who would have torn the clothes off 
his back." He said, "I pity their condition." 
I replied, " Not so, for you envy them their 
riches." 



332 THE GULISTAN. 

We were talking thus, opposing force to 
force, when he advanced a pawn; I endeav- 
ored to repel it ; and whenever he put my king 
in check, I relieved it by the vizier (or queen), 
until he had exhausted all the coin in his purse, 
and had spent all the arrows of the quiver of 
disputation. Take care not to throw down the 
shield when combating with an orator, who hath 
nothing but borrowed, tumid eloquence. Prac- 
tise thou religion, and serve God, for the verbose 
orator, who measures his periods, exhibits arms 
before the gate, but there is nobody within side 
of the castle. At length, when having no argu- 
ments left, I had put him to shame, he became 
outrageous, and spoke incoherently. It is the 
way with the ignorant, when confounded by the 
adversary's arguments, to have recourse to vio- 
lence, as Azur the idol-maker, when he could 
not convince his son Abraham by arguments, 
began to quarrel, as God hath said, " Of a truth, 
if thou wilt not give up this point, I will stone 
thee." He gave abuse, I retorted harshly ; he 
tore the collar off my garment, and I laid hold 
of his beard. We were tumbling over one 
another, and the people running after us, laugh- 
ing, and astonished at our conduct. In short, 
we referred our dispute to the Cazy, and agreed 
to abide by his impartial decision, in order that 
a Mohammedan judge might resolve what was 




OF THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. 333 

advisable, and discriminate between the rich and 
the poor. 

When the Cazy saw our faces, and heard 
our discourse, he sunk his chin into the collar of 
reflection, and after mature consideration raised 
up his head and said: " O thou who hast spoken 
in praise of the rich, I would have thee to know 
that there is no rose without a thorn ; and that 
wine is accompanied with intoxication; hidden 
treasure has its dragon ; in the same place which 
has royal pearls are ravenous crocodiles ; the 
enjoyment of worldly pleasure is followed by the 
sting of death : and the lights of Paradise are 
intercepted by crafty Satan. 

"He ought to submit to violence from an en- 
emy who wishes to enjoy a friend, because the 
treasure and the dragon, the rose and the thorn, 
sorrow and gladness, are linked together. Ob- 
serve you not that in the garden there are 
odoriferous plants, as well as dry trunks? In 
like manner in the circle of rich men, there are 
grateful and ungrateful persons ; and in the 
number of Durwaishes some exercise patience, 
and others do not. If every hailstone was a 
pearl, the market would be as fall of them as of 
shells. The beloved of the Almighty consist of 
rich men, who have the disposition of Dur- 
waishes, and of Durwaishes possessed of noble 
minds. The greatest rich man is he who re- 



334 THE GULISTAN. 

lieves the distresses of the poor ; and the best 
of Durwaishes is he who looketh not to the rich 
for his support ; for God hath said, ' He who 
trusteth in God, requires no other's help.' ' 

The Cazy, having ceased reprehending me, 
turned towards the Durwaish and said : " You, 
who have advanced that the rich spend their time 
in wickedness, and are intoxicated with luxury ; 
it is true there are such people as you have de- 
scribed, who are defective in zeal and ungrateful 
towards God, who gather money and hoard it; 
who enjoy themselves, and gi\*e not to others ; if, 
for example, there should be a drought, or if the 
world should suffer a deluge, they, confiding in 
their own wealth, would not inquire after the 
distress of the poor, nor fear God. If another 
should be annihilated by distress, I exist ; what 
has a goose to fear from a deluge ? The women 
who are mounted on camels feel not in their 
litters for him who perishes in the sand. Mean 
persons, when they have escaped with their own 
blanket, say, What signifies it if the whole world 
should die ? There are some of this description ; 
but I have seen others who, having spread the 
table of generosity and proclaimed munificence, 
with affable countenance seek reputation, and 
ask pardon of God ; enjoying the things of this 
world and of futurity ; like his Majesty, the king 
of the world, who is assisted by the grace of 



OF THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. 335 

God, the conqueror of his enemies, lord para- 
mount of nations, defender of the strongholds 
(of religion), heir of the kingdom of Solomon, 
surpassing all the monarchs of his time in justice, 
Mozufferuddeen Abubekr Sad, may God pro- 
long his days, and grant victory to Ins standards ! 
A father skoweth not such benevolence towards 
his son as your hand of liberality has bestowed 
on the human race. God wanting to bestow a 
blessing on mankind, through his mercy made 
vou kino; of the world." 

When the Cazy had extended his discourse to 
tins length, and had exerted the powers of elo- 
quence beyond our expectation, we acquiesced 
in his sentence with mutual forgiveness, and, 
apologizing for all that had passed between us, 
we took the road of affability, and blaming our- 
selves, we kissed each other's hands and face, and 
the disputation concluded with these words : " O 
Durwaish, complain not of the revolutions of this 
world, for thou wilt be unhappy if thou expire 
in this imagination. And thou, rich man, whilst 
thou hast thy heart and hand at thy command, 
enjoy and bestow, that thou mayest obtain the 
blessing of Heaven, in this life and in futurity." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Rules for Conduct in Life. 




No. I. 

'ICHES are for the comfort of life, 
and not life for the accumulation of 
riches. I asked a holy wise man, 
Who is fortunate and who is unfor- 
tunate ? He replied, He was fortunate who 
ate and sowed, and he was unfortunate who 
died without having enjoyed. Pray not over 
that worthless wretch who performed no act of 
piety; who spent his whole life in amassing 
money, without making any use of it. 



No. II. 



The prophet Moses, upon whom be peace ! 
thus admonished Karoon : u Do thou good, in the 
same manner that God hath done good unto 
thee." He did not listen, and you have heard 
of his end. He who hath not done good with 



RCLES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 337 

his money, hath lost his future hopes in attending 
to the acquisition of riches. If thou wishes! to 
derive benefit from worldly riches, show that 
kindness towards thy fellow-creatures that God 
hath bestowed on thee. The Arabs say, " Be 
bountiful without accounting it an obligation, 
when most certainly the benefit will return • to 
you." Wherever the tree of beneficence takes 
root, it sends forth branches beyond the sky. 
If you entertain hopes of eating the fruit, culti- 
vate the tree kindly, and put not a saw at its root. 
Return thanks to God that you have been as- 
sisted with divine grace, and that he has not 
excluded you from the riches of his bounty. 
Boast not of holding an office under the king, 
but be grateful to God for having placed you in 
his service. 

No. III. 

Two persons took trouble in vain, and used 
fruitless endeavors, — he who acquired wealth, 
without enjoying it, and he who taught wisdom, 
but did not practise it. How much soever you 
may study science, when you do not act wisely, 
you are ignorant. The beast whom they load 
with books is not profoundly learned and wise : 
what knoweth his empty skull whether he car- 
rieth firewood or books ? 

15 v 



838 THE GULISTAN. 

No. IV. 

Science is to be used for the preservation 
of religion, and not for the acquisition of 
wealth. Whosoever prostituted his abstinence, 
reputation, and learning for gain, formed a gran- 
ary and then consumed it entirely. 

No. «,V. 

A learned man, without temperance, is a 
blind man carrying a link : he showeth the road 
to others, but doth not guide himself. He 
who through inadvertency trifled with life, 
threw away his money without purchasing any- 
thing. 

No. VI. 

A kingdom gains credit from wise men, and 
religion obtains perfection from the virtuous. 
Kings stand in more need of wise men than wise 
men do of appointments at court. Listen, 
King, to my advice ; for you have not a more 
valuable maxim in all your archives than this : 
" Intrust not your affairs to any but wise men; 
although public business is not the occupation of 
the wise." 




RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 339 

No. VII. 

Three things are not permanent without 
three things : wealth without commerce, science 
without argument, nor a kingdom without gov- 
ernment. 

No. VIII. 

Showing mercy to the wicked is doing injury 
to the good, and pardoning oppressors is injur- 
ing the oppressed. When you connect yourself 
with base men, and show them favor, they com- 
mit crimes with your power, whereby you par- 
ticipate in their guilt. 

No. IX. 

You cannot rely on the friendship of kings, 
nor confide in the sweet voices of boys ; for 
those change on the slightest suspicion, and these 
alter in the course of a night. Give not your 
heart to her who has a thousand lovers ; but if 
you should bestow it on her, be prepared for a 
separation. 

No. X. 
Reveal not to a friend every secret that you 



340 THE GULISTAN. 

possess, for how can you tell but what he may 
some time or other become your enemy ? Like- 
wise inflict not on an enemy every injury 
in your power, for he may afterwards become 
your friend. The matter which you wish 
to preserve as a secret, impart it not to any 
one, although he may be worthy of confidence ; 
for no one will be so true to your secret as your- 
self. 

It is safer to be silent than to reveal one's 
secret to any one, and telling him not to men- 
tion it. O good man ! stop the water at the 
spring head, for when it is in full stream you 
cannot arrest it. You should never speak a 
word in secret which may not be related in 
every company. 

No. XI. 

A weak enemy, who becomes obedient and 
shows friendship, does so with no other design 
but to become a more powerful adversary; as 
they have said, " Even the sincerity of friends 
is not to be relied on ; what, then, is to be ex- 
pected from the flattery of enemies ? " He who 
despises a weak enemy resembles him who 
neglects a spark of fire. Extinguish it to-day, 
whilst you are able; for when it issues into a 
flame, it destroys a world. Permit not your 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 341 

enemy to string his bow, whilst you are able to 
pierce him with an arrow. 

No. XII. 

Speak in such manner between two enemies, 
that, should they afterwards become Mends, you 
may not be put to the blush. Hostility between 
two people is like fire, and the evil-fated back- 
biter supplies fuel. Afterwards, when they are 
reconciled together, the backbiter is hated and 
despised by both parties. To kindle a flame 
between two persons, is to burn yourself incon- 
siderately hi the midst. Whisper to your friends, 
in order that your bloodthirsty enemy may not 
overhear you. Take care what you say before 
a wall, as vou cannot tell who mav be behind it. 

No. XIII. 

Whosoever formeth an intimacy with the 
enemies of his friends, does so to injure the latter. 
O wise man ! wash your hands of that friend 
who associates with your enemies. 

No. XIV. 

Whex, in transacting business, you are under 
any hesitation, make choice of that side which 



342 THE GULISTAN. 

will produce the least injury. Speak not harshly 
to a man of placid manners ; and with him who 
knocks at the door of peace, seek not hostility. 

No. XV. 

As long as an affair can be compassed by 
money, it is not advisable to put one's life in 
danger. When the hand has failed in every 
trick, it is lawful to draw the sword. 

No. XVI. 

Show not mercy to a weak enemy, for if he 
becomes powerful he will not spare you. When 
you see an enemy weak, twist not your whiskers 
in boasting : there is marrow in every bone, and 
every coat covers a man. Whosoever killeth a 
wicked man, relieveth the world from his in- 
juries, and delivereth himself from the wrath of 
God. Forgiveness is commendable, but apply 
not ointment to the wound of an oppressor. 
Knoweth he not, that whosoever spareth the life 
of a serpent committeth injury towards the sons 
of Adam. 

No. XVII. 
It is not advisable to follow the advice of an 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 343 

enemy , you may hear what he has to say, in 
order that you may act contrary thereto ; and 
which is perfect reason. Avoid that which an 
enemy tells you to do ; for if you follow his ad- 
vice, you will smite your knees with the hands 
of sorrow. If he shows you a road straight as 
an arrow, turn from it and go the other way. 

No. XVIII. 

Anger, when excessive, create th terror ; and 
kindness out of season destroys authority. Be 
not so severe as to cause disgust, nor so lenient 
as to encourage audacity. Severity and lenity 
should be tempered together ; like the surgeon, 
who when he uses the lancet applies also a 
plaster. A wise man carries not severity to ex- 
cess, nor suffers such relaxation as will lessen 
his own dignity. He overrates not himself; 
neither doth he altogether neglect his conse- 
quence. A shepherd said to his father, " O 
thou who art wise, teach me one maxim from 
your experience." He replied, " Be complacent, 
but not to that degree that they may insult you 
with the sharp teeth of the wolf." 

No. XIX. 
Two persons are enemies to a kingdom and 






844 THE GULISTAN. 

to religion, — a monarch without clemency, and 
a religious man without knowledge. May there 
never be at the head of a kingdom a ruler who 
is not an obedient servant of God. 



No. XX. 

It behooveth a king not to show wrath to- 
wards his enemies to such a degree as to alarm 
his friends ; for the fire of wrath first falls on the 
exciter of it, and then the flame may reach the 
enemy, or not. It suits not the earth-born sons 
of Adam to assume pride, ferocity, and vanity. 
You who have so much heat and pertinacity 
I do not consider as created of earth, but of fire. 
In the land of Baelkan, I visited a religious man, 
to whom I said, " Cleanse me from ignorance 
by your doctrine." He replied, u Go, and suffer 
with patience, like the earth, O learned in the 
law, or else bury in the earth all that you have 
studied." 

No. XXI. 

A wicked man is a captive in the hand of 
the enemy, for wherever he goeth he cannot es- 
cape from the clutches of his own punishment. 
If the wicked man should escape to heaven 
from the hand of calamity, he would continue in 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 345 

calamity from the sense of his own evil disposi- 
tion. 

No. XXII. 

When you see discord amongst the troops of 
your enemy, be of good courage ; but if they 
are united, then be upon your guard. When 
you see contention amongst your enemies, go 
and sit at ease with your friends : but when you 
see them of one mind, string your bow, and 
place stones upon the ramparts. 

No. XXIII. 

When the enemy has failed in all other arti- 
fices, he will propose friendship : that under its 
appearance he may effect what he could not 
compass as an open adversary. 

No. XXIV. 

Bruise the serpent's head with the hand of 
your enemy ; which cannot fail of producing one 
of these two advantages. If the enemy suc- 
ceeds, you have killed the snake ; and if the 
latter prevails, you have got rid of your enemy. 

In the day of battle consider not yourself 
safe because your adversary is weak : for he 

15* 



346 THE GULISTAN. 

who becomes desperate will take out the lion's 
brains. 



No. XXV. 

When you have anything to communicate 
that will distress the heart of the person whom it 
concerns, be silent, in order that he may hear 
from some one else. O nightingale! bring thou 
the glad tidings of spring, and leave bad news to 
the owl ! 

No. XXVI. 

Inform not the king of the perfidy of any 
one, excepting you are assured that he will 
entirely approve of it ; for otherwise you are 
only working your own destruction. When 
you are purposing to speak anything, do it 
when you know that your words will take 
effect. 



No. XXVII. 

He who gives advice to a self-conceited 
man, stands himself in need of counsel from 
another. 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 347 



No. XXVIII. 

Be not caught by the deceit of an enemy, nor 
be proud of the praise of a flatterer ; for that 
has spread the thin net; and this has opened 
the palate of avarice. A blockhead is pleased 
with praise, like a corpse whose inflated heel 
has the appearance of plumpness. Take care 
how you listen to the voice of the flatterer, 
who, in return for his little stock, expects to 
derive from you considerable advantage. If one 
day you do not comply with his wishes, he im- 
putes to you two hundred defects instead of 
perfections. 

No. XXIX. 

Unless some one points out to an orator 
his defects, his discourse will never be cor- 
rect. Be not vain of the elegance of your dis- 
course from the commendation of an ignorant 
person, neither upon the strength of your own 
judgment. 

No. XXX. 

Every one thinks his own wisdom perfect, 
and his own child beautiful. A Jew and a 



348 THE GULISTAN 

Mohammedan were disputing in a manner that 
made me laugh. The Mohammedan said in 
wrath, " If this deed of conveyance is not au- 
thentic, may God cause me to die a Jew ! " 
The Jew said, " I make oath on the Pentateuch, 
and if I swear falsely, I am a Mohammedan 
like you." If wisdom was to cease throughout 
the world, no one would suspect himself of igno- 
rance. 

No. XXXI. 

Ten men will sit at one table, but two dogs 
will not be satisfied with one carcass. The 
avaricious man, with the whole world at his com- 
mand, is hungry ; whilst he who is contented is 
satisfied with a loaf of bread. The narrow 
belly is filled with a loaf of bread without 
meat ; but the narrow sight is not satisfied 
with all the riches on the face of the earth. 
My father, when the term of his life was ex- 
pired, gave me this one advice, and departed, 
" Lust is a fire, shun it ; precipitate not your- 
self into the flames of hell; since you will 
not have strength to support that burning, 
quench the present flame with the water of 
patience." 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 349 

No. XXXII. 

He who when he hath the power doeth not 
good, when he loses the means will suffer distress. 
There is not a more unfortunate wretch than the 
oppressor ; for in the day of adversity, nobody is 
his friend. • 

No. XXXIII. 

Life depends upon the support of a single 
breath, and worldly existence is between two 
non-existences. Those who sell religion for the 
world are asses ; they sell Joseph, and get noth- 
ing in return. " Did I not bargain with you, 
O sons of Adam, that you should not serve 
Satan ? By the advice of an adversary, you are 
breaking your promise with your friend : behold 
from whom you have separated and with whom 
you have united yourselves." 

No. XXXIV. 

Satan cannot prevail over the righteous, 
neither the king against the poor. 

Trust not him who neglecteth his prayers to 
God, even although his mouth be kept open by 
fasting ; for he who performeth not the Divine 
precepts, neither will he care for his debt to you. 






350 THE GULISTAN. 

I have heard that in the land of the East they 
are forty years in making a china cup : they 
make a hundred in a day at Baghdad, and con- 
sequently you see the meanness of the price. A 
chicken, as soon as it comes out of the egg, seeks 
its food ; but an infant hath not reason and dis- 
crimination. That which was something all at 
once, never arrives at much perfection ; and 
the other by degrees surpasses all things in 
power and excellence. Glass is everywhere, 
and therefore of no value ; the ruby is ob- 
tained with difficulty, and on that account is 
precious. 

No. XXXV. 

Affairs are accomplished through patience ; 
and the hasty man faileth in his undertakings. 
I saw with my own eyes in the desert a man 
who walked slowly, get before one who went 
fast. The fleet steed was tired with galloping, 
whilst the camel-drive^ proceeded in an equal 
slow pace. 

No. XXXVI. 

Nothing is so good for an ignorant man as 
silence ; and if he was sensible of this he would 
not be ignorant. When you possess not perfec- 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 351 

tion and excellence, you had better keep your 
tongue within your teeth. The tongue brings 
men into disgrace. The nut without a kernel is 
of light weight. A stupid man was training an 
ass, and spent all his time upon it. Somebody 
said : " O blockhead, what art thou endeavoring 
to do ? for this foolish attempt expect reprehen- 
sion from the censorious. Brutes will not acquire 
speech from thee ; learn thou silence from them." 
Whosoever doth not reflect before he giveth an 
answer, will generally speak improperly. Either 
arrange your words as a man of sense, or else 
sit quiet like a brute. 

No. XXXVII. 

Whenever you argue with another wiser 
than yourself, in order that others may admire 
your wisdom, they will discover your ignorance. 
When one manages a discourse better than 
yourself, although you may be fully informed, 
yet do not start objections. 

No. XXXVIII. 

Whosoever associates with the wicked will 
not see good. If an angel should keep company 
with a demon, he would learn terror, perfidy, 
and deceit. You cannot learn virtue from the 
wicked ; the wolf practises not the tanner's art. 



352 THE GULISTAN. 

No. XXXIX. 

Publish not men's secret faults ; for by dis- 
gracing them you make yourself of no repute. 

No. XL. 

Whosoever acquired knowledge, and did not 
practise it, resembleth him who ploughed, but 
did not sow. 

No. XLI. 

Obedience is not truly performed by the 
body of him whose heart is dissatisfied. The 
shell without a kernel is not fit for store. 

No. XLII. 

Not every one that is ready to dispute is 
quick in transacting business. A form may ap- 
pear handsome under a sheet, but remove it and 
you find a grandmother. 

No. XLIII. 

If every night was a night of power, many 
of such nights would be disregarded. If every 
stone was a Budukshan ruby, the ruby and the 
pebble would be of equal value. 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 353 

No. XLIV. 

It is not eveiy graceful form that contains a 
good disposition ; for virtue is in the mind, not 
in the appearance. You may know in one day 
from a man's manners to what degree of knowl- 
edge he has attained; however, be not secure 
against his mind ; neither be proud of your dis- 
covery; for a malignant spririt is not to be 
detected in many years. 

No. XLV. 

Whosoever contendeth with the great sheds 
his own blood. He who thinks himself great 
has been compared to one who squints and sees 
double. You will get a broken front by sporting 
your head against a ram. 

No. XLVI. 

It is not the part of a wise man to box with 
a lion, or to strike his fist against a sword. 
Neither fight nor contend with one more power- 
ful than yourself; put your hand under your 
armpit. 

No. XLVII. 

A weak man who contends with one that is 

w 






354 THE GULISTAN. 

strong, befriends his adversary by his own death. 
He who was nursed in the shade, how is he able 
to accompany the heroes to battle ? He who 
hath not strength in his arm, acts foolishly in 
opposing one who has a wrist of iron. 

No. XLVIII. 

He w^ho listens not to advice, studies to hear 
reprehension. When advice gains not admis- 
sion into the ear, if they reprehend you, be 
silent. 

No. XLIX. 

The vicious cannot endure the sight of the 
virtuous ; in the same manner as the curs of the 
market howl at a hunting-dog, but dare not ap- 
proach him. 

No. L. 

When a mean wretch cannot vie with another 
in virtue, out of his wickedness he begins to 
slander. The abject envious wretch will slan- 
der the virtuous man when absent ; but when 
brought face to face, his loquacious tongue be- 
comes dumb. 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IX LIFE. 355 

No. LI. 

But for the cravings of the belly, not a bird 

would have fallen into the snare ; nay, the 
fowler would not have spread his net. The 
belly is chains to the hands and fetters to the 
feet. He who is a slave to his belly, seldom 
worships God. 

No. LII. 

Wise men eat late ; holy men half satisfy 
their appetites ; and hermits take only what is 
sufficient to sustain life ; young men devour all 
that is in the dish : the old eat until they sweat ; 
but the Calenders devour so voraciously that 
there is not in their stomachs room for drawing 
breath : nor is there left on the table a morsel 
for any one. He who is a slave to his belly, 
sleeps not for two nights : one night from a 
loaded stomach, and the next night through 
want. 

No. LIIL 

To consult with women is ruin ; and to be 
liberal towards the seditious is a crime. When 
you support and favor the vicious, you commit 
wickedness with your power by participation. 



356 THE GULISTAN. 



No. LIV. 





Whosoever hath his adversary in his power, 
and doth not destroy him, is an enemy to himself. 
When there is a stone in the hand, and the head 
of a snake under the stone, the prudent man 
delay eth not execution. To show mercy to the 
sharp-teethed tiger would be doing injury to 
the sheep. But others have advanced the con- 
trary, and said, that in the execution of a pris- 
oner delay is best, because you retain the power 
of killing or of releasing : but should he be put 
to death without deliberation, good counsel may 
perchance be lost, since reparation is impossible. 
It is easy to take away life, but impossible to re- 
store it. It is a rule of reason, .that the archer 
should have patience, for when the arrow has left 
the bow, it will not return. 

No. LV. 

The wise man who engages in a controversy 
with those who are ignorant of the subject, 
should not entertain any expectation of gaining 
credit. If an ignorant man, by his loquacity, 
should overpower a wise man, it is not to be 
wondered at, because a common stone will break 
a jewel. Why is it surprising if a nightingale 
should not sing, when a crow is in the same cage ? 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 357 

If a virtuous man is injured by a vagabond, he 
ought not to be sorry, or angry. If a worthless 
stone bruise a golden cup, its own worth is not 
thereby increased, nor the value of the gold 
lessened. 

No. LVI. 

If a wise man, falling in company with mean 
people, does not get credit for his discourse, be 
not amazed ; for the sound of the harp cannot 
overpower the noise of the drum ; and the fra- 
grance of ambergris is overcome by fetid garlic. 
The ignorant wretch was proud of his loud 
voice, because he had impudently confounded 
the man of understanding. Are you ignorant 
that the musical mode of Hijaz is confounded 
by the noise of the warrior's drum ? If a jewel 
falls into the mud, it is still the same precious 
stone ; and if dust flies up to the sky, it retains 
its original baseness. A capacity without edu- 
cation is deplorable, and education without ca- 
pacity is thrown away. Ashes, although of high 
origin, fire being of a noble nature, yet having 
no intrinsic worth, are no better than dust. 
Sugar obtains not its value from the cane, but 
from its innate quality. Musk has the fragrance 
in itself, and not from being called a perfume by 
the druggist. The wise man is like the drug- 



358 THE GULISTAN. 

gist's chest, — silent, but full of virtues ; and 
the blockhead resembles the warrior's drum, — 
noisy, but an empty prattler. A wise man in 
the company of those who are ignorant, has 
been compared by the sages to a beautiful girl 
in the company of blind men ; or to the Koran 
in the house of an infidel. When the land of 
Canaan was without virtue, the birth of Joseph 
did not increase its dignity. Show your vir- 
tue, if you possess nobility ; for the rose sprang 
from the thorn, and Abraham from Azur. 

No. LVII. 

A friend w T hom you have been gaining dur- 
ing your whole life, you ought not to be 
displeased with in a moment. A stone is many 
years becoming a ruby ; take care that you do 
not destroy it in an instant against another 
stone. 

No. LVIII. 

Reason is under the power of sense ; as a man 
becomes weak in the hand of an artful woman. 
Shut the door of that house of pleasure, which 
you hear resounding with the loud voice of a 
woman. 






RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 359 

No. LIX. 

A purpose, without power, is fraud and de- 
ceit; and power without design, is ignorance and 
madness. The first requisites are judgment, 
prudence, and wisdom, and then a kingdom ; 
because putting power and wealth into the hand 
of the ignorant, is furnishing weapons against 
themselves. 

No. LX. 

The liberal man, who eats and bestows, is 
better than the religious man, who fasts and 
hoards. Whosoever hath forsaken luxury, to 
gain the approbation of mankind, hath fallen 
from lawful into unlawful voluptuousness. The 
hermit, who sitteth in retirement, not for the 
sake of God, w T hat shall the hopeless wretch be- 
hold in a dark mirror ? A little and a little, 
collected together, become a great deal ; the heap 
in the barn consists of single grains, and drop and 
drop form an inundation. 

No. LXI. 

A wise man ought not to suffer the insolence 
of a common person to pass unnoticed, as he 
thereby injures both parties ; for his own re- 



360 THE GU LI STAN. 

spectability will be lessened, and the other eon- 
firmed in his ignorance. When you speak to a 
low fellow with kindness and benignity, it in- 
creases his arrogance and perverseness. 

No. LXII. 

Sin, by whomsoever committed, is detestable, 
but most so in a learned man ; because learning 
is the weapon for combating Satan ; and if the 
armed man is taken prisoner, the greater will be 
his shame. An ignorant plebeian of dissolute 
manners is better than a learned man without 
temperance ; for that through blindness lost the 
road, and this, who had two eyes, fell into the 
well. 

No. LXIII. 

He whose bread people do not eat in his life- 
time, when he dies they mention not his name. 
Joseph the just, when there was a famine in 
Egypt, ate not his fill, in order that he might 
not forget those who were hungry. The widow 
relishes grapes, and not the master of the vine- 
yard. He who fives in ease and wealth, how 
can he know w^hat it is to be hungry? He 
knows the condition of the distressed whose 
own circumstances are needy. O thou who art 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 361 

mounted on a swift horse, reflect that the ass 
laden with thorns is sticking in the mud. Ask 
not fire from the house of the neighboring Dur- 
waish, for that which issues from his chimney 
is the smoke of his heart. 

No. LXIV. 

In a season of scarcity and drought, inquire 
not of a distressed Durwaish how he does ; un- 
less you mean to apply ointment to his wound, 
by giving him subsistence. When you see a 
loaded ass sticking in the mud, take compassion 
on him, or at any rate pass not over his head ; 
"but when you proceed and inquire how he came 
there, bind up your loins as becometh a man, 
and lay hold of the ass's tail. 

No. LXV. 

Two things are morally impossible : to enjoy 
more than Providence has allotted, or to die be- 
fore the appointed time. Destiny will not be 
altered by our uttering a thousand lamentations 
and sighs, nor by our praises or complaints. 
The angel who presides over the treasury of 
winds, what does he care if the lamp of an old 
widow is extinguished ? 

16 



362 THE GULISTAK 

No. LXVI. 

O thou who art in want of subsistence, be 
confident that thou shalt eat. And thou whom 
death hath required, flee not ; for thou canst not 
preserve thy life. With or without your exer- 
tion, Providence will bestow daily bread; and 
if thou shouldst be in the jaws of the lion, or of 
the tiger, they could not devour you excepting 
on the day of your destiny. 

No. LXVII. 

That which is not allotted, the hand cannot 
reach, and what is allotted will find you wher- 
ever you may be. You have heard with what 
toil Secunder penetrated to the land of dark- 
ness ; and that, after all, he did not taste the 
water of immortality. 

No. LXVIII. 

A fisherman, unassisted by destiny, could 
not catch a fish in the Tigris ; and the fish with- 
out fate, could not have died on the dry land. 

The covetous man explores the whole world 
in pursuit of a subsistence, and fate is close at 
his heels. 



RULES FOE CONDUCT IN LIFE. 363 

No. LXIX. 

A wicked rich man is a clod of earth gilded ; 
and a pious Durwaish is a beauty soiled with 
earth. This wears the patched garment of 
Moses, and that has the ulcer of Pharaoh 
covered with jewels. The virtuous man under 
adversity preserves a cheerful countenance ; but 
the wicked man in prosperity holds down his 
head. Whosoever possesses rank and wealth, 
and relieves not those who are in distress, inform 
him that in the next world he will find neither 
dignity nor riches. 

No. LXX. 

The envious man begrudgeth the bountiful 
goodness of God, and is inimical to those who 
are innocent. 

I heard a little fellow r with dry brains speak- 
ing disrespectfully of a person of rank. I said, 
" O sir, if you are unfortunate, w T hat crime have 
fortunate men committed ? " Wish not ill to 
the envious man, for the unfortunate wretch is 
a calamity to himself. Where is the need of 
your showing enmity towards him who has such 
an adversary at his heels. 






364 THE GULISTAN. 



No. LXXI. 



A student without inclination is a lover 
without money ; a traveller without ^observation 
is a bird without wings ; a learned man without 
works is a tree without fruit ; and a devotee 
without knowledge is a house without a door. 

No. LXXII. 

The Koran was revealed that men might 
learn good morals, and not that they should re- 
cite the written sections. The unlettered relig- 
ious man is a foot- traveller ; whilst the negligent 
learned man is a sleeping rider. A sinner who 
lifts up his hands in prayer is better than a 
devotee who exalts his head. A military officer, 
who is good-natured and courteous, is better 
than an oppressive lawyer. 

No. LXXIII. 

A learned man without works is a bee 
without honey. Say to the austere and uncivil 
bee, " When you cannot afford honey, do not 
sting." 

No. LXXIV. 
A man without virility is a woman ; and an 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 3G5 

avaricious devotee is a highway robber. O thou 
who hast put on white garments to appear holy 
in the sight of men, thou hast thereby blackened 
the register of works : the hand ought to be re- 
strained from worldly pursuits, whether the 
sleeve is long or whether it is short. 



No. LXXV. 

Two persons never free their hearts of regret, 
nor their sorrowing feet from the mud. One is 
the merchant whose ship has been wrecked ; 
and the other, the heir who has got into the 
company of Calenders ; as they have said, 
"Although a dress bestowed by a monarch is 
valuable, yet one's own coarse clothes are pref- 
erable : and although the great man's food is 
exquisite, still the scraps of one's own table are 
more delicious. Vinegar and pot-herbs, obtained 
by one's own labor, are preferable to bread and 
lamb received from the hand of the head man 
of the village." 

No. LXXVI. 

It is contrary to reason, and to the counsel 
of the wise, to take medicine without confidence, 
or to travel an unknown road without accom- 
panying the caravan. 






366 THE GULISTAN. 

No. LXXVII. 

They asked Iman Mursheed Mohammed Ben 
Mohammed Ghezaly, on whom be the mercy of 
God ! bv what means he had attained to such a 
degree of knowledge ? He replied, " In this 
manner, — whatever I did not know, I was not 
ashamed to inquire about." There will be 
reasonable hopes of recovery when you get a 
skilful physician to feel your pulse. Inquire 
about everything that you do not know ; since, 
for the small trouble of asking, you will be 
guided in the respectable road of knowledge. 

No. LXXVIII. 

Whenever you are certain that anything 
will be known to you in time, be not hasty in 
inquiring after it, as you will thereby lessen 
your authority and respectability. When Lok- 
man saw that in the hand of David iron became 
miraculously like wax, he did not ask how he 
did it ; being persuaded that without asking it 
would be made known. 

No. LXXIX. 

Amongst the qualifications for society, it is 
necessary either that you attend to the concerns 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 367 

of your household, or else devote yourself to 
religion. 

Tell your story in conformity to the temper 
of the hearer, if you know that he is well dis- 
posed towards you. Any wise man who asso- 
ciates with Mujnoon will talk of nothing else 
but of the face of Leila. 



No. LXXX. 

Whosoever associates with the wicked, al- 
though he may not imbibe their principles, will 
be accused of following their ways ; in like 
manner, as if a person should go to a tavern 
with intention to say his prayers, it would only 
be imagined that he went there to drink wine. 
You have stigmatized yourself with the charac- 
ter of ignorance, from having associated with 
the ignorant. I asked a wise man to tell me a 
maxim. He replied, " Associate not with the 
ignorant ; for if you are a man of judgment, 
you will thereby become an ass ; and if you are 
ignorant, you will increase your stupidity." 

No. LXXXI. 

It is well known, that if a child lays hold of 
the bridle of a tractable camel, he may be led a 
hundred farsangs without being in the least dis- 



868 THE GUL1STAN. 

obedient f but if the road becomes tkngerons 
and threatens death, and the child, through 
ignorance, wants the camel to go that way, he 
slips the bridle out- of his hand, and will not 
obey him any longer; because in the time of 
danger courteousness is a crime ; for they have 
said, " An enemy does not become a friend, 
through indulgence ; nay, it increases his ava- 
rice." Be humble unto him who shows you 
kindness, and to him who acts contrarily, fill his 
eyes with dust. Speak not with favor and kind- 
ness to a man of austere countenance ; for rusty 
iron is not polished with a smooth file;, 

No. LXXXII. 

Whosqeyek interrupts the conversation of 
others to make a display of his own wisdom, 
certainly betrays his ignorance. The sages 
have said, that a wise man speaketh not until 
they ask him a question. Although the tern* 
perament of the discourse may be true, yet it is 
difficult to admit his pretensions. 

No. LXXXIII. 

Once when I had a sore under my garment, 
my superior, on whom be the mercy of God ! 
every day asked me, " How do you do ? n 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 369 

Avoiding to mention the seat of my complaint, 
for it is not decent to call every part by its 
name. He who does not ponder his words, will 
be offended at the answer which he receives. 
As long as you are in doubt whether an expres- 
sion is perfectly correct, you ought not to open 
your mouth. If by speaking truth you should 
continue in confinement, it is better than getting 
released by uttering falsehood. 

No. LXXXIV. 

Telling a lie is like inflicting a wound, 
which, when healed, leaves a scar. Joseph's 
brethren, having become notorious for falsehood, 
when they spoke truth it was not believed. 
God hath said, " You shall be interrogated con- 
cerning your affections." 

When one who practises veracity commits a 
mistake, it is allowable to pass it over; but 
when he who is notorious for falsehood speaks 
truth, you will say it is a lie. 

No. LXXXV. 

Man is, beyond dispute, the most excellent of 

created beings, and the vilest animal is a dog ; 

but the sages agree that a grateful dog is better 

than an ungrateful man. A dog never forgets 

16* x 



370 THE GULISTAN. 

a morsel, although you pelt him a hundred 
times with stones. But if you cherish a mean 
wretch for an age, he will fight with you for a 
mere trifle. 

No. LXXXVI. 

A sensualist does not practise virtue, and 
he who is unskilful is not fit to rule over others. 
Spare not the voracious ox, for a glutton is given 
to sloth. If you wish to fatten like an ox, sub- 
mit your body to the oppressors like an ass. 

No. LXXXVII. 

It is said in the Gospel, " O sons of Adam, 
if I should grant you riches, you would be more 
intent on them than on me ; and if I should 
make you poor, your hearts w r ould be sorrowful ; 
and then, how could you properly celebrate my 
praise, and after what manner would you wor- 
ship me ? Sometimes in affluence you are proud 
and negligent ; and again in poverty, you are 
afflicted and wounded. .Since such is your dis- 
position, both in happiness and in misery, I 
know r not at what time you will find leisure to 
worship God." 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 371 

No. LXXXVIII. 

The divine will displaces one from the throne 
of royalty, and preserves another in the fish's 
belly. Happy is the state of him who keepeth 
thee, O God, in continual remembrance, al- 
though he were in the belly of the whale, like 
Jonas. 

No. LXXXIX. 

If God should unsheathe the sword of his 
wrathful indignation, both prophets and saints 
would shrink back with dread ; and if he were 
to bestow a glance of benignity, the wicked 
would obtain virtue. If at the resurrection he 
should be strict in judgment, what can even the 
Prophets plead in excuse ? Let us say, " Out 
of thy mercy remove the veil, seeing that sinners 
are in hopes of pardon." 

No. XC. 

He wmo is not brought into the road of rec- 
titude by worldly afflictions, shall suffer eternal 
punishment. The Almighty said, " Of a •truth, 
I will cause you to suffer light punishment, and 
not the greatest torments/' Great men first 
admonish, and then confine ; when they give 
advice, and you listen not, they put you in fet- 



372 THE GULISTAN. 

ters. The fortunate take warning from the his- 
tories and precepts of the ancients, in order that 
themselves may not become an example to pos- 
terity. 

The bird alighteth not on the spread net, 
when it beholds another bird in the snare? 
Take warning by the misfortunes of others, 
that others may not take example from you. 

No. XCI. 

He who is born deaf, how can he hear ; 
and he on whom the noose is flung, how can 
he avoid going ? To those who are befriended 
by God, the dark night is as bright as the 
shining day ; but this happiness is not pro- 
curable by the strength of the arm, until it 
is granted by God. To whom else shall I 
complain, since there is no other judge, and 
there being no hand higher than thine ? Who- 
soever thou guidest, cannot stray; and whosoever 
thou causest to wander, hath no guide. 

' No. XCII. 

A Durwaish whose end is good, is better 
than a King whose end is evil. It is better to 
suffer sorrow before, than after, the enjoyment 
of happiness. 



RULES FOR CON DUCT IN LIFE. 373 

No. XCIII. 

The sky enriches the earth with showers, and 
the earth returns it nothing but dust. A jar 
exudes whatever it contains. If my disposition 
is not worthy in your sight, quit not your own 
good manners. The Almighty beholdeth the 
crime, and concealeth it; and the neighbor seeth 
not, yet proclaim eth it aloud. God preserve us ! 
if men knew what is done in secret, no one 
would be free from the interference of others. 



No. XCIV. 

Gold is obtained from the mine by digging 
the earth, and from the miser bv dWino; his 
soul. 'Men of grovelling disposition expend 
not, and hoard with care ; saying that the 
hopes of expending is better than having spent. 
You will see one day, according to the wish 
of the enemy, the money left, and the wretch 
dead. 

No. XCV. 

Those who do not pity the weak, will suffer 
violence from the powerful. It does not always 
happen that the strong arm can overpower the 
hand of the weak. Distress not the heart of the 



374 THE GULISTAN. 

weak, lest yon fall by one more powerful than 
yourself. 

No. XCVI. 

The wise man, on beholding contention, 
withdraweth himself; and when he seeth peace, 
droppeth anchor ; because there is safety on 
the beach, and here is enjoyment in the mid- 
dle. 

No. XCVII. 

The gamester wants three sixes, but three aces 
turn up. Pasture-land is a thousand times bet- 
ter than the plain ; but the horse has not com- 
mand of the reins. 

No. XCVIII. 

A Durwaish, in his prayer, said, " O God, 
show pity towards the wicked, for on the good 
thou hast already bestowed mercy, by having 
created them virtuous." 



No. XCIX. 

Jumshaid introduced distinctions in dress, 
and was the first person who wore a ring on the 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 375 

finger. They asked him why he had given the 
whole grace and ornament to the left, whilst ex- 
cellence belongs to the right hand ? He replied, 
" The right hand is completely ornamented by 
its own rectitude." Feridoon commanded the 
Chinese embroiderers to embroider the follow- 
ing words on the outside of his pavilion, " O 
man of prudence, do thou good to the wicked ; 
for the virtuous are of themselves great and 
happy." 

No. C. 

They said to a great man, " Seeing that the 
right possesses so much excellence, what is the 
reason of their wearing the ring on the left 
hand?" He replied, " Don't you know that 
the virtuous man is always neglected ? He who 
hath appointed both happiness and misery, be- 
stoweth either virtue or riches." 

No. CI. 

He is the proper person to give advice to 
kings who neither dreads the loss of his head 
nor seeks for reward. He who is orthodox, 
whether you pour money under his feet or 
apply an Indian cimeter to his head, has neither 
hope nor fear from any one ; and this is the 
true -basis of piety. 






376 THE GULISTAN. 

No. CII. 

A king is for the restraint of oppressors ; the 
superintendent of police, for guarding off mur- 
derers ; and the Cazy for hearing complaints 
against thieves. Two men of honest intentions 
never refer their complaint to the Cazy. 

When you perceive what is just, and that it 
must be given, it is better to give it with kind- 
ness than with contention and displeasure. If 
a man does not pay the tax willingly, the officer's 
servant will exact it by force. 

No. cm. 

The teeth of every one are blunted by sour- 
ness, excepting the Cazy's, which are affected 
by sweetness. The Cazy who takes four cucum- 
bers as a bribe, will admit evidence in your 
favor for ten fields of muskmelons. 

No. CIV. 

What can an old prostitute do but vow not 
to sin any more ? or a degraded superintendent 
of police, besides promising not to injure man- 
kind ? A youth who makes choice of retire- 
ment, is a lion-like man in the path of God; for 
an old man is not able to move from his cor- 
ner. 



RULES FOR CONDUCT IN LIFE. 377 

No. CV. 

They asked a wise man, why out of many 
famous trees which the Almighty hath created, 
lofty and fruit-bearing, the cypress alone is 
called free, although it beareth not fruit? He 
replied, " Every tree hath its appointed fruit 
and season, with which it is at one time flourish- 
ing, and at another time destitute and withering ; 
to neither of which states the cypress is exposed, 
being always flourishing, as is the state of those 
who are free. Place not your heart on that 
which is transitory ; for the river Tigris will 
continue to flow through Baghdad after that the 
Khalirs shall have ceased to reign. If you are 
able, imitate the date-tree in liberality ; but if 
you have not the means of munificence, be free 
like the cypress." 

No. CVI. 

Two persons died, and carried with them 
regret; — he who had riches and did not enjoy, 
and he who had knowledge, but made no use 
of it. No one ever saw a learned man, who was 
a miser, that people did not endeavor to point 
out his faults ; but if a generous man hath two 
hundred defects, his generosity will cover them. 



CONCLUSION OF THE BOOK. 



Through God's assistance, the book entitled 
the Garden of Roses is now brought to a con- 
clusion. Throughout the whole of this work 
I have not followed the custom of authors, by 
inserting verses borrowed from former writers. 
It is better to be dressed in one's own old gar- 
ments, than to ask the loan of a new vest. The 
discourses of Saadi are for the most part cheerful, 
and mixed with pleasantry ; on which account 
the short-sighted extend the tongue of reproach, 
saying, that it is not the part of a wise man to 
waste the brain in vain pursuits, and to endure 
the smoke of the lamp without deriving any ad- 
vantage ; however, the enlightened minds of the 
intelligent, who comprehend the tendency of a 
discourse, are sensible that the pearls of salutary 
advice are threaded on the string of style ; and 
that the bitter medicine of admonition is mixed 
with the honey of pleasantry, in order that the 
reader might not in disgust refuse his acceptance. 



CONCLUSION. 379 

We have offered our advice in its proper place, 
and spent a long time on the undertaking ; if it 
is not listened to with the ear of avidity, yet the 
messenger performs his duty by delivering the 
message. O thou who peruse st this book, en- 
treat the mercy of God for its author, and pardon 
for him who transcribed it, and ask for your own 
self whatever good you may require, after which 
implore forgiveness for the owner of it. The 
book is finished through the aid of that Monarch 
who is the bestower of all £Ood gifts. 



THE END. 



Cambridge : Stereotyped and Printed by Welch, Bigelow, & Co. 



JUW 3 WO 



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